Russia wants two things in Afghanistan that do not sit easily together. It wants the Taliban government treated as a partner, and it wants the terrorist groups on Afghan soil contained. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s address in Moscow on 16 October showed both ambitions at once, and Pakistan, a Shanghai Cooperation Organization member bearing the brunt of cross-border militancy, has a stake in how Moscow resolves the tension.Lavrov was candid about the danger. He spoke of terrorist training camps and strongholds in Afghan areas near Central Asia, of militants slipping across borders disguised as refugees and tourists, and of weapons and drugs flowing north. He said Russian intelligence shared this view. In the same speech, he called the Taliban government a reality that must be reckoned with, praised its fight against Islamic State’s Khorasan branch and its record against narcotics, and said Moscow was working to consolidate external support for Kabul. He noted that the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group remains suspended and asked for it to resume.The........

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