Premature to draw conclusions about new Afghan authorities, dialogue needed - Matviyenko- TASS

A working dialogue should be conducted with the Taliban (outlawed in Russia), who have come to power in Afghanistan, but it is still early to draw conclusions about how its new government will work, Valentina Matviyenko, Speaker of the Federation Council (the lower house of Russia’s parliament), told reporters on Wednesday.

"It is a fact that the Taliban have full control of Afghanistan and that now they are a new government in Afghanistan, and it cannot be denied," he said in response to a question from TASS.

In Matviyenko’s opinion, "it is still difficult to draw conclusions as to how the government will work, what the statehood will be like, how they will behave inside the country and how they will build international relations."

"How will the government work? We have to see what they are up for, whether they - I place a particular emphasis on it - will abide by civilizational norms and will respect human rights and women’s rights. We will be closely watching what is going on, and based on that, we will draw conclusions and build our relations," she explained.

Matviyenko stated that for now, "we should calmly study, watch, and analyze."

"However, it does not mean that there is no need for dialogue and working contacts," she stressed.