In a post published on Facebook, the ambassador began with a rhetorical question: “Has Russia become the European Taliban? Or perhaps it always was?”.
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“Only all sorts of naive and gullible people tried to see something positive and civilized in Russia’s actions. Apparently, this does not yet mean that Afghans will send their soldiers to the Ukrainian front following North Korea’s example. Nor will they necessarily fulfill other traditional obligations characteristic of similar agreements.
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It is doubtful whether Russia will dare to pay the same price as North Korea and, in exchange for soldiers on the front, provide the Taliban with its defense technologies. Although you can’t know anything and can’t guarantee anything,” L. Linkevičius noted.
According to him, the pact concluded between Russia and the Taliban is more symbolic, but it very clearly and valuably characterizes the current Kremlin regime, which is the only one to officially recognize the Taliban government. Among other things, last year, the Kremlin’s master, Vladimir Putin, even called them allies in the fight against terrorism.
“Actually, everything is very logical, you just need to learn the Russian vocabulary. The ongoing occupation is called liberation. Resistance to occupation is terrorism. Since 2001, Taliban fighters have carried out suicide bombings, murders, kidnappings, and attacks for 20 years, during which civilians and military personnel were killed.
Intentional targeting of civilian lives for political purposes fully corresponds to the standard definition of terrorism. Just not according to the Kremlin’s dictionary. Finally, even before 2000, the Taliban government provided refuge to “Al-Qaeda,” which, operating in Afghanistan, planned the September 11, 2001 attacks in the USA. For Putin, all of this is enough to label the Taliban an ally in the fight against terror,” the diplomat explained.
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In the post, he pondered the benefits and ideological motivation of all this. According to L. Linkevičius, there is probably no ideology here.
“Russia is now in such a situation that it would even go apple picking with the devil. Especially since this practically strengthens, at least somewhat, its positions and influence in Central and South Asia, which are simply weakening before our eyes.
It hopes that this will help them control the infiltration of military groups and narcotics across the borders with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, which Russia still considers its “backyard.” Russia, of course, also hopes for the Taliban’s help in fighting ISIS groups in the region,” the former minister stated.
He noted that this entire military pact, apparently, will not mean an ideological alliance, but it will still logically complement the overall picture in which Russia “paints itself” as a strategic ally of the Taliban.
“To put it even more directly, Russia shows that it is the European Taliban,” L. Linkevičius cut in.
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