Russia Considering Quadrilateral Framework with China to Resolve Taliban-Pakistan Tensions

Zamir Kabulov, Russia's special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, has stated that Moscow is considering a quadrilateral framework involving China to address tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan. Kabulov told the Russian newspaper Izvestia that any such mediation effort would depend on official requests from both the Taliban and Pakistan, neither of which has been received so far.

Kabulov noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had previously emphasized Russia's readiness to mediate if asked by the parties. The comments come after the Taliban and Pakistan held talks in Urumqi, China, mediated by Beijing.

Those discussions ended without specific results after one week on the 19th of Hamal. During the meetings, Pakistan demanded that the Taliban recognize the TTP as a terrorist group, dismantle its infrastructure and provide verifiable evidence of doing so.

Muhammad Naim Wardak, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister, attributed the failure of the Urumqi talks to Pakistan's unreasonable stance and its efforts to shift responsibility for its internal security problems. Both sides had verbally committed during the China-mediated talks to refrain from escalating tensions.