Russia's special presidential representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, has announced that the escalating conflict between the Taliban and Pakistan will be a key topic at the upcoming Moscow Format consultative meeting on October 5.
Kabulov confirmed that the Taliban's acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, and Pakistan's special representative for Afghanistan will both be in attendance. Speaking to the Izvestia newspaper, Kabulov expressed Russia's hope to utilize the Moscow platform to guide the conflicting parties toward "reasonable compromises."
"Russia would be pleased if it could use the Moscow platform to push Pakistan and the Taliban towards reasonable compromises," Kabulov told the newspaper.
The Russian envoy highlighted the current deadlock, noting that Pakistan insists the Taliban stop providing sanctuary to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Afghan soil. In contrast, Taliban officials deny these accusations and maintain that the militant conflict is an internal issue for Islamabad.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously announced that the eighth Moscow Format meeting will involve special representatives from Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia. Delegations from Belarus and Egypt will also attend as guests.
The meeting, which will be opened by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, historically focuses on political and economic engagement with Afghanistan and strengthening regional cooperation against terrorism and drug trafficking. Russia is one of the few countries that has maintained diplomatic engagement with the Taliban administration.
Source: Izvestia newspaper
🌐
