MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th June, 2020) Russia expects that the implementation of the US-Taliban peace deal will lead to the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and intra-Afghan reconciliation, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
"We hope that the implementation of the US-Taliban agreement, I recall it was signed on February 29 this year in Doha, will lead to the complete withdrawal of foreign troops and the achievement of intra-Afghan national reconciliation," Zakharova said at a briefing.
Afghanistan has been fighting the radical Taliban movement for decades. The presence of foreign troops has been one of the most sensitive issues in internal negotiations. In February, the Taliban and Washington reached an agreement stipulating the beginning of intra-Afghan negotiations, as well as prisoner exchanges. In addition, under the accord, the United States conditionally pledged to gradually pull its forces out of Afghanistan within 14 months. The Taliban, in return, vowed that the country would not become a safe haven for terrorist groups.
Initially, the Taliban and Kabul did not show much inclination to negotiate with each other. However, the prisoner exchanges that have been taking place over the last few months, as well as the recent Eid al-Fitr ceasefire, demonstrate some potential for a breakthrough in the Afghan peace process.
Last week, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said that intra-Afghan talks are closer than ever, praising Kabul for freeing over 3,000 Taliban prisoners and the Taliban for releasing more than 500 government prisoners.
