In a Conference titled “Afghanistan: Between Past and Future,” hosted by the Russian Party of Freedom and Justice in Moscow, some political opponents of the Taliban shared their perspectives. Participants in this Conference called for the support of countries worldwide and in the region to achieve a fundamental solution to the crisis in Afghanistan. They emphasized that Afghanistan is a diverse country, composed of various ethnicities, languages, and political and religious groups, and it will not progress with the exclusivity and suppression of the Taliban. According to them, without a diverse and people-centric political structure, the country will not find liberation from the current crisis. These politicians believe that the continuation of Taliban rule will lead to increased instability and the spread of extremism in the region. Participants urged regional countries and the United Nations to hold a conference on establishing a new political structure in Afghanistan, where all political and civilian forces can participate. The members of this Conference referred to engaging with the Taliban as appeasement and added that this approach has not yielded any results other than strengthening terrorism and increasing security threats over the past two years.

Moscow, last Thursday, hosted political opponents of the Taliban for the first time since the fall of the previous government. Russia had not previously invited Taliban opponents to the “Moscow Format” talks. Recently, the Institute for Justice in the World and the Russian Party of Freedom and Justice played host to political figures opposing the Taliban. Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), Mohammad Mohaqiq, a member of the leadership of the National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan, Fawzia Koofi, and Shukria Barakzai, former parliamentarians, along with several other political figures, participated in the Conference, sharing their perspectives and delivering speeches.

Shukria Barakzai, a former member of the Afghan parliament and former ambassador of Afghanistan to Norway, who participated in the Moscow Conference, spoke with Hasht-e Subh Daily. She stated that Russia’s support and hosting of these Conferences could, at the very least, provide an alternative to the Taliban regime through a process and create a conducive environment for intra-Afghan dialogues. According to Ms. Barakzai, despite being the first meeting of Taliban opponents in Moscow, the desires and goals of the speakers were similar, and no specific differences in their demands were observed. She pointed out that this indicates a general consensus on the issue of Afghanistan, even though the Taliban were not present as one of the involved parties.