Afghanistan: Russia Expresses Desire to Raise its Profile in Kabul

A derelict building stands on the broad Darul Aman Avenue leading to Afghanistan's parliament. In the 1990s, gunfire, shelling and rocket attacks caused its roof to cave in, and these days the air inside is foul. Abandoned, the structure is now primarily a haven for drug addicts.

But the building may not be neglected for much longer. The Russian government has expressed a desire to renovate the former Russian Cultural Center as part of its plan to restore up to 150 industrial, commercial and cultural sites that Moscow had sponsored during its 10-year occupation of Afghanistan, says Russian Ambassador Andrey Avetisyan.

Since Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, Moscow has been extremely wary of involving itself in Kabul's affairs. But these days, the Kremlin's cautious outlook appears to be changing. Not only have Russian officials begun cooperating with NATO and the United States on ferrying military supplies to Afghanistan, Moscow looks likely to step up humanitarian aid, trade, and military assistance. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

"We have been playing it kind of low-profile for the past eight years possibly because Russia was looking for its place in the modern Afghan situation," Avetisyan told EurasiaNet. "We have been waiting for a moment. [...] This moment seems to have come because in Afghanistan we see at last not only fighting but some efforts to revive this country, to build again its economy, to do something for education."

"It is very good because we have been telling our Western friends that by fighting only terrorism you can't win here," Avetisyan added.

While Russia has had an uneasy relationship with the presence of nearby US military bases in Central Asia and Afghanistan, Russian diplomats say they value cooperation. Moscow views instability in Afghanistan as a greater threat than the proximity of western forces, Avetisyan indicated. "We support the international forces here. We are not interested in their defeat because otherwise we will have to deal with this problem in the future and I think it is in our common interest to join forces to stop it," the ambassador said.

Afghan analysts appear to welcome Russia's assistance, while agreeing that instability there is also a grave problem for Russia.

"It is important for Russia to have peace and stability here," says Shahmahmood Miakhel, a former deputy interior minister and current head of the United States Institute of Peace's Kabul office. "Most of the [Afghanistan-grown] narcotics go through Russia, and they are also worried about the extension of extremism to Central Asia, Chechnya and Russia."

"If there is terrorism in Afghanistan, it will affect the entire world," added Abdul Rahim Oruz, a senior Foreign Ministry official tasked with working on Russia.

The difficulty that the West has had in fostering sustainable economic development in Afghanistan over the past eight years has caused some Afghans to develop a sense of appreciation for bygone Soviet-built infrastructure projects. "Russia has expertise in building infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. Some of these projects were destroyed and others need rehabilitation," said Oruz, expressing optimism about Russian plans to invest. "If we want to rebuild the Salang [tunnel connecting northern and southern Afghanistan], for example, another country would need to start from the beginning. But Russian experts who worked on it are still there and they can do it."

The tunnel, opened by the Soviets in 1964, is indeed something Russia is interested in rehabilitating. However, in its new role, Moscow hopes to collaborate with Western states for whom the tunnel serves as a vital transport link. "We are discussing with the Americans the possibility of trilateral cooperation," said Avetisyan. "We still have expertise in that and certain Russian companies have already done the feasibility study. We are now trying to agree upon investments for this, and if we come to an agreement, then the Salang tunnel can be restored quickly because it is the most important part of the [resupply] route."

Russian businesses - which have been mostly absent since the fall of Kabul's Communist government in 1992 - are now hoping to get a share of the lucrative Afghan market. Insecurity and the high costs of operating in Afghanistan ensure that donor funded projects are given high overhead costs, making investment a profitable prospect for businessmen willing to take risks. "Here in Kabul I am receiving Russian businessmen who want to start their business even with minimal levels" of protection, says Avetisyan. "The special feature of Russian business is that they do not demand such high levels of security as Westerners or the Japanese."

The Afghan government is keen to cultivate the renewed Russian interest.

"Russia can and should play a more active role in Afghanistan," said Davood Moradian, Director General of the Center for Strategic Studies in Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Avetisyan contended that Russian-Afghan relations no longer carry a heavy burden of history. "As far as feelings in Afghanistan towards Russian are concerned, it is absolutely friendly. All my colleagues who meet Afghans everyday [...] tell me there is absolutely friendly feelings towards Russians," he said, denying past baggage related to the Soviet occupation. "I can't feel it and all Afghans - ministers, MPs, prominent members of Afghan society - tell me the same thing: That chapter is now closed."

Moradian, however, offers a very different assessment of the recent past: "We have neither forgotten, not forgiven. We have postponed [the question of] how to deal with the past."