Russia concerned at Daesh plans to destabilise Central Asia

Russia has accredited a diplomat from the Taliban to engage with the new Afghan government but remains concerned about the threat of militant groups spilling over into Russia via Central Asia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

Russia hosted an international conference on Afghanistan last year to try to reach a peace deal and curb violence between the Taliban and the then Afghan government.

Since Russia's mediation efforts, the United States and its allies withdrew their troops from Afghanistan after 20 years there and the Taliban seized power in August as the US-backed government collapsed.

Speaking at an Afghanistan-focused conference in China, Lavrov said that growing trade and economic ties between Afghanistan and countries in the region was contributing to the potential international recognition of their administration.

He said a Taliban envoy was already active in Moscow.

"I would like to note that the first Afghan diplomat who arrived in Moscow last month and was sent by the new authorities has received accreditation at the Russian Foreign Ministry," he said.

Russia is worried about the potential for fallout in the wider region and the possibility of militants infiltrating the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, which Russia views as its southern defensive buffer.

Since the Taliban takeover last year, Moscow has held military exercises in Tajikistan and bolstered hardware at its military base there.