MOSCOW, October 2. /TASS/. The seventh meeting of the Moscow format consultations on Afghanistan will take place on October 7, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, adding that top Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov will meet with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, on the sidelines of the event.
"The seventh meeting of the Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan will be held in Moscow on October 7, bringing together special representatives and senior officials from Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan," the diplomat said.
She added that a delegation from Belarus has also been invited as a guest.
"The Afghan side will be represented by the Foreign Minister, who will hold a separate meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the event. The talks will focus on discussing current issues of bilateral cooperation," Zakharova noted.
The meeting will be opened by the top Russian diplomat and will be held behind closed doors. "Priority attention will be given to promoting the process of Afghan national reconciliation and expanding practical interaction between regional states and Kabul in political, economic, counter-terrorism, and anti-drug spheres. A joint statement is also expected to be adopted following the meeting," Zakharova informed.