Russian Foreign Ministry: UK Upgrading "Russian Threat" in Central Asia
¬ Media: EU Considering Technical Talks with Taliban Delegation in Brussels
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Alexander Stepanenko, Director of the Third Department for CIS Affairs at the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that the UK's policy in Central Asia aims to artificially escalate the "Russian threat" in the region.
Stepanenko said at the Central Asia session of the Valdai International Discussion Club: "The UK's policy in Central Asia is aimed at artificially escalating the 'Russian threat' in this region. Based on this concept, cooperation with these countries is being developed along the line from London to Central Asia."
He added that, from Russia's perspective, European Union countries have become a serious challenge to regional policies in recent years.
Stepanenko emphasized: "They make no secret of their intention to impose a 'strategic defeat' on Russia, and are cooperating with our partners who easily conceal their own objectives."
The sixth Valdai International Discussion Club Central Asia Conference was held in Gellendzhik on May 12–13.
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According to the Euractiv website, the European Commission has acknowledged work underway on technical talks with the Taliban regarding migration issues in Brussels.
At the end of April, EU Commission spokesperson Markus Lameret had stated that the EU was conducting technical consultations with the Taliban on migration matters, although at that time the EU Commission did not confirm whether the delegation would come to Brussels.
The report states: "The Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs at the European Commission is working together with Sweden's Ministry of Justice to prepare for [possible technical meetings] with Afghan representatives in Brussels."
The Taliban movement intensified its offensive against Afghan government forces in early August 2021, rapidly advancing across Afghanistan. On August 15, they entered the capital Kabul and seized the presidential palace; on August 16, they declared that warfare within Afghanistan had ended. During the last two weeks of August, Western nationals and Afghans who had previously collaborated with Western forces were evacuated en masse from the US-protected Kabul airport. At night on August 30, the final contingent of US troops departed Afghanistan, marking the end of nearly 20 years of American military presence in the country.
Source: sputniknews
Original: toutiao.com/article/1864975631309003/
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