After the Moscow conference on Afghanistan’s peace process on Thursday, a joint statement was issued in which four primary representatives of countries like Russia, China, the US, and Pakistan stated that they will never support the re-emerge of Islamic Emirate system in Afghanistan.
The statement also determined the will of the Afghan people for a prolonged peace, the representatives also called for a reduction of violence from all sides, stressed on Taliban not to launch spring offensives, and reiterated the need for a politically negotiated settlement for the Afghan conflict.
“As stated in the UNSC resolution 2513 (2020), we do not support the restoration of the Islamic Emirate and we call on the government of the Islamic and the High Council for National Reconciliation to engage openly with their Taliban counterparts regarding a negotiated settlement,” the statement read.
According to the statement involved bodies in intra-Afghan negotiations are required to immediately engage in discussing fundamental issues for finding a solution to end the conflict.
It is iterated in the statement that both the Afghan government and the Taliban should not let the Afghan soil be used as a threat to the security of other nations.
“We call on all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan to reduce the level of violence in the country and on the Taliban to not to pursue a spring offensive, so as to avoid further casualties and to create an environment conducive to reaching a negotiated settlement,” the statement indicated.
The delegates of China, Russia, Pakistan, and the US in the joint statement reaffirmed their commitment to protect and safeguard the rights of all Afghans including men, women, children, minorities, and those affected by war.
“We recognize and welcome all international efforts that are underway to facilitate and support a negotiated settlement as soon as possible” the statement read.
During the opening session of the Moscow summit on the Afghan peace troika, the Russian Foreign Minister said that despite the US-Taliban peace deal, the security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated and has turned much violent.
“Unfortunately, the Doha process for Afghan peace and reconciliation has not yet provided any positive results, but we expect further progress down the line. At the same time, we see that the situation is deteriorating,” Tolonews quoted Lavrov.
“We are especially worried by the spring and summer period when traditionally we see more military and hostile activity in the region, and, according to my data and information, it is already starting, we see that people on both sides are continuing to perish, including the civilian population,” he said.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday welcomed the statement by Moscow conference.
MoFA the Moscow summit, progress towards the achievement of a long-lasting peace, which is based on the will of Afghanistan and its people.
The ministry in a released statement emphasized that the government supports negotiated political settlement.
In a diverse society like Afghanistan, the republic’s system is the only inclusive and acceptable government that ensures political participation, equality, pluralism and preserves stability between different ethnicities.
Sputnik a Russian news agency quoted Suhail Shaheen a Taliban negotiator in Moscow saying that “It is important that the negotiations should be expedited because it will help us to achieve a permanent ceasefire and countrywide peace and this is our goal,” He added, “As we talked with Afghan politicians, they also insisted that the process should be expedited”.
According to Shaheen Taliban aims at bringing an Islamic government (Islamic Emirate) that will represent all of the Afghans, but he said it depends on the people that which type of a government will establish as a result of peace negotiations.
Shaheen also added that “We had 18 months of negotiations with Americans, and they agreed that they will withdraw in 14 months.
“They should leave and if they don’t leave by the end of April that means they continue the violation of the agreement. That violation will not be from our side, but it will be from their side.” Shaheen said
“In that case, if there is an action of course there will be a reaction. The violation will have a reaction,” Shaheen said.
This comes as Joe Biden is planning to extend the May 1st deadline by keeping the US troops in Afghanistan until November 2021.
NBC News reported that in a discussion with his national security team, President Joe Biden considered extending the May 1st deadline to an additional six more months.
