KABUL – Former president Hamid Karzai has supported the military assistanceof Russia to Pakistan, saying that Moscow can give weapons to Islamabadsame as the United States is providing arms to Afghanistan’s neighboringcountry.
Addressing the Raisina Dialogue 2018 in India, Karzai said Moscow andIslamabad relations are new.
“There are ninety times more US weapons in Pakistan than Russian weapons inPakistan,” Karzai said. “Shouldn’t we first correct the US part? Ninetypercent… When they do that we will go to Russia and ask them to stop theirwill.”
The former president said the US has failed in Afghanistan war because itgives more importance to Pakistan compared with Afghanistan.
“When I pressed the US delegation on Pakistan and their support to Pakistanand the continuity of extremism arriving from there to Afghanistan, thetrouble that it cost to Afghanistan and the US mission in Afghanistan,suddenly vice president (Joe) Biden got up from his place and said look Mr.Karzai, Pakistan is fifty times more important for us than you Afghanistan.That is the relationship that we should focus on,” Karzai said.
At the same event, Igor Morgulov deputy minister of foreign affairs of theRussian Federation, rejected Russia’s relations with the Taliban.
“How do you know this is Russian weaponry? I mean if it is AK, they areproduced now almost everywhere. So, this no evidence again and we arespeaking about those helicopters which bring foreign fighters toAfghanistan.
We asked government in Kabul and we asked NATO commandment where these comefrom? Because we know that this is NATO and Afghan government who iscontrolling the air space of Afghanistan,” Morgulov said. “We have not yetreceived any substantial answer.”
The Russian diplomat said Russia does not have any influence over theTaliban.
“We are very much concerned with the situation in Afghanistan for manyyears and billions of dollars poured in this country and military efforts.We see no signs of the improving the situation. Moreover, the situation isbecoming more and more dire and we are very much concerned. There are a lotof talk about possibility of Russia’s assistance to Taliban,” he said.
About Russia’s pledge to facilitate talks between the Afghan government andthe Taliban, he said: “That is a principle difference.
We are proposing to provide conditions and to provide venue if needed fordialogue between the government in Kabul and the Taliban but there is noevidence whatsoever with regards to Russia’s assistance to Taliban. Theseare pure speculations; absolutely groundless.”