Russia’s military cooperation agreement with Afghanistan’s Taliban government is driven by a pragmatic geopolitical approach to regional security, policy expert Gleb Makarevich told RT India.
Moscow and the Taliban government signed a military cooperation pact last week, strengthening a regional alliance aimed at enhancing Russia’s influence in Central Asia.
The deal was finalized during an international security forum in Moscow following a meeting between Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob.
“Since the Taliban is in charge of power in Afghanistan, it is our duty to collaborate with them so as to contribute to regional security, to global security, to counter-terrorism,” said Gleb Makarevich, a research fellow at the Center of the Indo-Pacific Region within the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations.
Makarevich stated that Russia aims to improve relations with the current Afghan government to “invest in regional security in broader terms.” He noted that Central Asia is a region of paramount importance for Russia.
He agreed that, as Western powers have largely disengaged from Afghanistan, Moscow is “demonstrating a pragmatic approach focused on regional security.”
“We are talking more about pragmatism because there are a lot of Soviet munitions and Russian munitions left in Afghanistan,” Makarevich explained, noting that the Taliban is seeking assistance in repairing those arms and collaborating in the defense sector.
Makarevich asserted that Moscow’s strategy is to seek regional solutions to problems originating in these theaters, while acknowledging that Russia cannot resolve all those issues.
“The regional conflicts, we could bear in mind, should be decided by the parties involved themselves,” he said. “It is for the Afghan people to decide on their fate and not for Russia to fuel their political vacuum,” Makarevich added.
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