Grigory Karasin, chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Council of the Russian Federation, said that continuing dialogue with the Taliban is important in order to maintain peace and stability in Central Asia.

The Russian official said that dialogue with the Taliban is important because the group is in power in Afghanistan. The statement, published on Thursday (October 10), read that a delegation from the Council of the Russian Federation visited Tajikistan. It is not yet clear whether the delegation will discuss Afghanistan during its visit to Tajikistan.

Russia has close relations with the Taliban, but Tajikistan has repeatedly warned about the current situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule over the past three years.

Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the Security Service of the Russian Federation, had previously said that the Taliban was cooperating with Russia in the fight against ISIS-K.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also announced in July 2023 that Moscow sees the Taliban as an ally in the fight against terrorism.