Russian, Qatari FMs welcome US-Taliban talks

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian and Qatari foreign ministers on Monday expressed their support for ongoing peace talks between the U.S. and Taliban aimed at ending the 17-year war in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a joint news conference following their meeting in Doha, Qatar, Sergey Lavrov and Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani said Afghan settlement can only be reached through dialogue.

"We are following the talks between the U.S. and Taliban representatives. [...] In my opinion, it is a very useful thing not to try to compete, but to unite efforts, because Russia, the United States and the countries of the region can help the Afghans to start a dialogue, and only this dialogue can lead to the end of conflict," Lavrov said.

The Russian foreign minister is on a tour across the Persian Gulf states, during which he will visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE.

Speaking about the conflict in Syria, Lavrov called the Astana format "the most effective mechanism" for restoring peace in the country.

The Qatari minister said the Syrian crisis will be resolved when the government "represents all the population".

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

According to UN figures, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed or displaced in the conflict, mainly by regime airstrikes in opposition-held areas.

Speaking about possible return of Syria to the Arab League, al-Thani said: "Nothing happened on the ground in Syria that would change our position, the general approach to this issue [against the renewal of the Syria's membership]."

Commenting on the tensions between Qatar and other countries of the Persian Gulf, al-Thani said "there is no progress" in this settlement.

"We are ready for dialogue, and there are certain efforts on the part of the U.S. to put an end to the differences in the Persian Gulf, but so far there is no progress here," he said.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain abruptly severed all ties with Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Qatar has vociferously denied the accusations, describing the Saudi-led embargo as a violation of international law and its national sovereignty.

Speaking about the possible purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, al-Thani said the specialists of Qatar and Russia are in touch on this matter.

"We discussed various aspects of military-technical cooperation. We do not have a final understanding on the S-400 issue; technical experts are discussing what prospects and options are mutually beneficial," he said.