Russia supports easier travel procedures for Taliban representatives holding talks

Russia and the US are ready to ease travel procedures for representatives of the Taliban who take part in peaceful talks and who are blacklisted by the UN, Russian presidential special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, has said. It would not be a change of their status, but “we should begin taking small, but important steps,” he told Rossiya 24 TV channel. Easier travel procedures would allow Taliban representatives to talk with their Afghan opponents, according to the diplomat. He noted, however, that it is up to the UN Security Council to decide on the issue. Full lifting of “taboo” from the movement is not being discussed, Kabulov said, adding that the Taliban should prove that “they deserve it.”