Western countries are to blame for Afghanistan's current dire economic state and should help fund its recovery, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday.

"After NATO’s 20-year military presence accompanied by the abortive experiment on imposing alien recipes and values, the collective West is directly responsible for today’s humanitarian situation and the deplorable state of the Afghan economy," he said at the third ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries (Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). "Hence, it must undertake the financial burden for crisis overcoming and stabilizing the situation."

According to Lavrov, the US wants to abdicate all responsibility for Afghan civilians and refugees. "Washington, as we have seen many times, is seeking to dodge responsibility for the future of Afghan citizens and refugees, including those who served the Americans and who are now trapped in ‘transit countries’ on their way to the United States. It looks like the United States can leave these people in the region for good," he said.

Read more: 1,450 Afghan children without their families in US

He called US President Joe Biden's executive order to seize the Afghan Central Bank's $7 billion in assets "cynical." Biden's executive order to withhold half of the Afghan Central Bank's deposits under the guise of having to pay compensation to the relatives of the September 11, 2001, terror attack victims is especially callous.

The Afghan people had nothing to do with the organization of these crimes," Lavrov highlighted and emphasized that it severely inhibits the Taliban government's ability to normalize the situation and lowers the Afghan army's and law enforcement's counter-terrorism capacity.

"The sincerity of the American’s intentions to help stabilize the situation in Afghanistan is questionable," he added.

Russian FM accredits the first diplomat sent by Afghan new gov. - Lavrov

The first diplomat sent to Moscow by Afghanistan's new government has been accredited by Russia's foreign ministry, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday.

"I would like to note that the first Afghan diplomat, who arrived in Moscow last month, has been accredited by the Russian foreign ministry," he said at the third ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries.

According to Lavrov, Kabul is working to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties. "Taliban government officials engage with foreign partners regularly in bilateral and multilateral formats, including in Moscow, Tehran, Doha, Oslo, and Antalya."

Related News

US officials say Ukraine may lose Kursk territories within months

Trump's transition ratings improve from 2016, still fall behind peers

"Today, the city of Tunxi has been added to this list," he said, adding that Moscow has seen a progressive development in Afghanistan's economic cooperation with other nations in the region that show an interest in that country.

"Naturally, these contacts promote international recognition of Afghanistan’s new authorities," Lavrov said.

After the Biden administration announced the end of the US military mission in Afghanistan and the beginning of the troop withdrawal, the Taliban launched an offensive against Afghan government forces. On August 15, Taliban fighters stormed into Kabul without a fight and took complete control of the Afghan capital within a few hours.

Afghanistan's President, Ashraf Ghani, stated he stepped down to avoid bloodshed and then fled the country. On September 6, the Taliban said that they had taken control of the entire country and inaugurated a new interim government the next day. This government, however, has not been officially recognized by any of the world's governments.

Int’l community must help Afghanistan resolve humanitarian issues — Lavrov

The international community must assist Afghanistan in resolving humanitarian issues and revitalizing its economy, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday.

"The key results are committed to paper in the final statement of the Tunxi initiative, which reflects common views of the participants in the meeting," he said. "The major focus was made on the assistance to the Afghan people suffering from the aftermaths of NATO’s nearly 20-year presence. They left the country in a deplorable state."

"The key task of the international community is to help Afghanistan first of all to resolve humanitarian problems and then revive the economy. The key message to the international community is that it must be much more proactive," he stressed.

On October 21, 2021, the first conference of top diplomats from Afghanistan's surrounding countries was convened in Moscow. Their next meeting was scheduled for October 27, 2021, in Teheran.

Read more: Russia and US engage in talks with Taliban in China

Yesterday, a senior US diplomat will participate in a meeting in China discussing issues in Afghanistan with diplomats from China, Russia, and Pakistan, according to the US and Chinese foreign ministries on Tuesday.

In early March, China announced it would hold a meeting at the level of foreign ministers, that will group Afghanistan's neighboring countries.

The third of its kind meeting aims to contribute to the achievement of long-term stability in Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

US is root cause of Afghanistan problems: Amir-Abdollahian

During the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated that the fundamental reason for Afghanistan's troubles is the long-term occupation and erroneous policies of the invaders, particularly the United States.

Speaking during the third meeting of Afghanistan's neighbors Conference in Tunxi, China on Wednesday, the foreign minister said that the occupation did not contribute to the country's development but rather resulted in the "collapse" of its political and economic structures following the disastrous withdrawal.

After thanking China for its hospitality and holding the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister expressed that after the many challenges and struggles that Afghanistan has witnessed, neighbors are hopeful for many things regarding the nation.