Russian Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said that participants in the Moscow format consultations on Afghanistan expressed unanimity in support and called for forming an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
The so-called Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan was attended by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, India, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, according to Sputnik news agency’s report.
Kabulov expressed concern over the Taliban’s failure to establish what he described as an ethno-politically inclusive government to govern the country, alluding to the country’s underrepresented Afghan minority groups.
A structure such as that of government, according to Kabulov, would foster “a true national reconciliation in Afghanistan.”
“We all see the situation in Afghanistan the same way, and we all unequivocally support the formation of an ethno-politically inclusive government in that country as soon as possible,” Kabulov said.
The Taliban is still banned in Russia, where it is treated as a terrorist group. However, Moscow has granted the Taliban permission to run the Afghan diplomatic mission in Russia.
According to Pakistan’s special envoy, Mohammad Sadiq, the engagement’s guiding principles included supporting political inclusion, combating terrorism, and protecting Afghans’ rights, particularly those of women. However, he said that the Taliban had not made any progress in those areas.
The majority of speakers at the Moscow meeting emphasized the necessity of continued involvement and collaboration between the international community and Afghanistan in order to assist the country’s people in achieving sustainable peace following four decades of bloodshed and conflict.
They also called for the frozen assets of Afghanistan to be released “unconditionally”, stating that the resources would allow the authorities to pursue an independent economic and financial policy.
This opening of Russia’s multilateral talks on Afghanistan came as the Taliban was not invited to the meeting, to which the group reacted that the absence of Taliban from such events render them “incomplete.”
