Invitation To Taliban For BRICS Meet Depends On Agreement Of Member States, Says Kabulov

Russia's representative for Afghanistan affairs has said that the Taliban will be invited to the BRICS meeting in Kazan if the member states agree.

Zamir Kabulov said that the invitation to the BRICS summit can only be done with the agreement of all its members. The Taliban has asked Russia to be invited to the meeting.

Tass news agency reported on Friday that Zamir Kabulov told reporters after the Moscow consultative format meeting that inviting the Taliban to Kazan would depend on how BRICS members react to it.

The BRICS summit is scheduled to be held from October 22 to 24 in the Russian city of Kazan.

Two weeks ago, Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported that the Taliban had sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov asking him to attend the BRICS leaders' meeting.

The letter states that Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's deputy prime minister, is interested in attending the BRICS meeting.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko announced on Thursday, October 3, that the Taliban's request to participate in the BRICS summit has not yet been approved. Rudenko said that the BRICS countries have not yet reached a consensus for the presence of a Taliban representative in the meeting.

The main members of the BRICS group include Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The group expanded with the membership of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia at the beginning of this year.

Zabihullah Mujahid told the Taliban-controlled National Radio and Television on Wednesday, September 26, that powerful countries in the economic arena are members of the BRICS, and that is why Taliban representatives want to participate in the upcoming meeting. He added that the move could provide more opportunities for Afghanistan.