Afghan talks.

THE fact is that were Afghanistan to implode, the chaos thus spawned would not remain confined within its borders, and would spread across the region.

Perhaps this is the key concern behind the quadrilateral talks that took place in Moscow focusing on Afghan peace, and featuring diplomats from Pakistan, the US, Russia and China.

Read: Four countries call for reducing violence in Afghanistan

All the participating states have stakes in Afghan security, which is why the meeting called for a resumption of stalled peace talks between the Afghan Taliban and the US, the real power behind the government in Kabul.

The participants also 'urged all sides to immediately reduce violence', as recently released UN figures show that a large number of civilians have been killed in acts of violence within Afghanistan.

The quadrilateral process is a welcome development and may pave the way for regional states to support Afghan peace.

Where the US and Russia are concerned, ironically, both states have played key roles in bringing Afghanistan to its current sorry pass.

Kabul became a central battlefield in the Cold War, as the Americans and Soviets jousted for influence; Afghanistan has yet to recover from the instability of the 'jihad' that was fought in its cities and towns.

And while the erstwhile USSR was humbled for its imperial hubris, the Americans soon found themselves involved in a new Afghan adventure, this time bringing 'justice' and 'democracy' to Afghanistan by punishing the Taliban for their support to Al Qaeda in the post-9/11 scenario.

However, today both Washington and Moscow find themselves trying to bring peace to Kabul.

Naturally, if Afghanistan is destabilised further, Russia will be...