The third meeting of the Moscow format talks on Afghanistan concluded on October 20 with the adoption of a joint statement on Afghanistan.
In the joint statement, the participating countries said that they would engage with Afghanistan but also called on the current Afghan leadership to take further steps “to improve governance and to form a truly inclusive government that reflects the interests of all major ethno-political forces in the country.”
Russia hosted the Moscow Format meeting which was attended by several countries, including Taliban delegation from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
At the summit, Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, emphasized the need for the formation of an inclusive government to achieve peace and stability.
The regional powers also proposed to convene “a broad-based international donor conference” under the auspices of the United Nations as soon as possible for the post-conflict economic and financial reconstruction and development of Afghanistan and to help the country stave off economic collapse and a humanitarian catastrophe.
Washington chose not to attend the talks, citing technical reasons, but has said it may join future rounds.
“The [three sides] agreed to continue engagement with the new Islamic government of Afghanistan and to jointly work towards unfreezing bank reserves of the Afghans. They expressed satisfaction with the security situation in Afghanistan and appreciated efforts of the new Afghan government,” Spokesperson for the Afghan Foreign Ministry Abdul Qahar Balkhi tweeted on Wednesday.
Balkhi also posted a picture showing Russian presidential envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, Chinese Special Envoy for Afghanistan Yue Xiaoyong, Russian Ambassador to this country Dmitry Zhirnov and Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sidique Khan taking part in the meeting.
All the participating countries vowed to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, said the official statement.
Pakistan’s stance in the meeting:
Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq represented Pakistan in the event and highlighted Pakistan’s utmost assistance in the Afghan peace process which is very well-acknowledged by the international community.
He emphasized that there was an urgent need to extend humanitarian support to Afghanistan for which the international community must step up its efforts. Peace in Afghanistan will benefit the entire region in terms of stability, secure borders, enhanced connectivity, return of refugees, and countering terrorism, he added.
Mr. Sadiq further mentioned that after all these years, the people of Afghanistan need and deserve peace, progress and prosperity. And the international community must generously help them to walk on that path, according to the press release.