Moscow Welcomes Reopening of U.S. Embassy in Kabul

Zamir Kabulov, the Special Envoy of the Russian President for Afghanistan, announced on Tuesday, October 7 (15 Mizan), that Moscow welcomes the ongoing talks between the United States and the Taliban regarding the reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. He stated, “If the United States is negotiating with the Taliban about reopening its embassy, we welcome this development.”

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Moscow Format meeting, Kabulov emphasized, “Russia has no plans to deploy military forces in Afghanistan.” Kabulov added that Amir Khan Muttaqi, in his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, firmly stated that the Taliban will not allow the establishment of any foreign military bases in Afghanistan — including the Bagram Air Base.

Earlier, a Taliban spokesperson confirmed that the group has held discussions with the United States regarding the reopening of the Afghan Embassy in Washington and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Previously, Zabihullah Mujahid told Sky News regarding Bagram: “Afghans will never allow their land to be handed over to anyone under any circumstances.”

U.S. officials have not yet made any official statements about the talks with the Taliban concerning the reopening of their embassy in Kabul.