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We also explained to the Secretary-General and his delegation the specific ways in which the UN could contribute to resolving humanitarian issues. The United Nations has several representatives here. They keep in touch with the Ministry of Defence and are receiving proposals they need to deliver on the initiatives put forward by the Secretary-General. This is the gist of our discussions. These were useful talks. We agreed to keep working on all aspects of our agenda. Question: How are preparations for the Russia-Africa summit advancing? Will it take place? What spheres of cooperation will Russia prioritise in its relations with African countries? Sergey Lavrov: Preparations for the Russia-Africa summit are underway. This will be the second meeting of this kind at the highest level. The first one took place in 2019, in Sochi. We are now making the necessary arrangements with our African friends so that we can announce how the upcoming summit will be held considering the impact from the coronavirus-related restrictions. We must determine the time and format that would suit all the heads of state. The resolutions adopted at the first summit in October 2019 in Sochi set forth the main spheres of cooperation with Africa. These include political dialogue, economic and investment cooperation, humanitarian and educational ties, since a large number of Africans study at Russian universities, as well as helping the African continent resolve the issues it faces. This is an inclusive and comprehensive dialogue. The Association of Economic Cooperation with African States has been established. Within our ministry, we created the Secretariat for the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum and tasked it with preparing future contacts. Question: Russia and a number of other countries made their recognition of the Taliban Government contingent on their success in ensuring inclusiveness, or the involvement of all local ethno-political forces in running the country. The Taliban have been in power for the last eight months. The former leaders of political parties have fled, with the exception of Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah. Some new alternative political forces, which would be willing to declare their readiness to join a new inclusive government, have failed to materialise over these months. Why, in your opinion, has the Taliban been unable to form a truly inclusive government? Is it possible to form a government in Afghanistan under the Taliban? Sergey Lavrov: The question why the Taliban has succeeded or not in doing something is largely artificial. We can speculate ad infinitum as to why the Americans and their allies failed in Afghanistan. Over the 20 years that they were in the country and in total control, they created not a single facility that would generate jobs, an increase in Afghanistan’s GDP, etc. The subjunctive mood is of no help to diplomacy. As for ethno-political inclusiveness, this was not so much a condition on the part of the international community as a promise and a commitment. The Taliban itself proclaimed it after coming to power. It is among the steps they will take to establish law and order in the country and ensure national accord. You have rightly said that political inclusiveness should be present alongside ethnic and religious accord. But this is still a problem. Despite their different ethnic origin, all members of the current Government (a provisional government par excellence) belong to the Taliban’s political wing. Former President Hamid Karzai and former Senior Executive (in fact, Prime Minister) Abdullah Abdullah are still in Afghanistan. I think that they are sufficiently authoritative figures, open to dialogue with the Taliban. We are encouraging contact of this kind. Hopefully, it will facilitate Afghanistan’s further stabilisation. . Question: Head of Crimea’s Civic Chamber Alexander Formanchuk spoke about the possibility of the Kherson Region becoming a part of the Russian Federation. This region and a number of other areas in southern Ukraine are controlled by the Russian Armed Forces.