Russia says emergency UN meeting on Afghanistan is planned

Russia, a permanent member of the UNSC is working with other countries to hold an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan as the Taliban continues its military takeover of the country, foreign ministry official Zamir Kabulov told Russian news agencies.

“We are working on this,” Kabulov said.

Mr Kabulov also said Moscow does not plan to evacuate its embassy in Kabul, saying the Taliban had offered Russia and other countries -- which he did not name -- security assurances for their missions in Afghanistan.

Leonid Slutsky, foreign affairs chief in the lower house of the Russian parliament, said the situation in Afghanistan required the "immediate intervention" of the UN Security Council.

It is important to prevent a new humanitarian catastrophe," he said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

The US and other countries rushed to evacuate their citizens from the capital as Taliban fighters stood on the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday.

Talks between the Talibans and Afghan Government for peaceful transfer and takeover of government is underway as the Taliban fighters encircled the capital Kabul already.

 Kabulov said Moscow does not plan to evacuate its embassy in Kabul, saying Taliban had offered security assurances.

Zamir Kabulov is a Russian diplomat and Russian Presidential envoy to Afghanistan. He previously served the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan until September 21, 2009.