KAZAKN, September 29. /TASS/. The fifth meeting of the Moscow Format of consultations on Afghanistan, expected to discuss regional threats and the creation of an inclusive government in the country, will open on Friday in Russia’s Volga Area city of Kazan.

The Moscow Format comprises Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the event would focus on the situation in Afghanistan, inter-Afghan reconciliation, the provision of regional security and post-conflict reconstruction in the country. According to Zakharova, the parties are expected to adopt a joint statement following the event.

Russian Presidential Special Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, who heads the Russian delegation to the talks, said that practically all participants have confirmed their participation. A delegation from Afghanistan, led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi of Afghanistan’s interim Taliban (outlawed in Russia) government, is also expected to attend. Kabulov, who is also the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second Asia Department, has told TASS that no US officials had been invited to attend as observers, and there were no plans of doing so.

Fulfilling commitments

One of the main issues to be raised at the upcoming meeting will be the need to create an ethnically and politically inclusive government in Afghanistan. According to Kabulov, no progress on the issue has been made to this point, but the format will continue its effort in this regard. The diplomat expects participants of the Kazan meeting to speak on the issue.

According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia assumes that the Afghan government established by the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia), is a fact that needs to be reckoned with. However, Moscow "will not recognize the Taliban government de-jure unless it fulfills its internationally recognized obligations," namely "inclusivity of governing bodies, not just in the ethnic sense, but also in the political one."

Humanitarian issues and anti-terrorism

Following the rise of the Taliban movement to power in Afghanistan, Russia continues its humanitarian assistance to the country. A batch of Russian humanitarian aid was sent to the country in September. Meanwhile, Russian officials show interest in projects to rebuild Afghanistan’s infrastructure. At the same time, Russia notes West’s attempts to block this type of cooperation. Russian deputy envoy to the UN, Anna Yevstigneyeva, said earlier that the West rejects any possibility of assisting Afghanistan’s development in any form, including by rebuilding schools and hospitals.

Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov told TASS last month that deliveries of Russian grain and fuel had alleviated the consequences of natural disasters and winter cold for the people of the war-torn country. Every year, several hundred scholarships are provided to Afghans for free education in Russian universities in socially important professions," he added.

In his words, terrorism remains the main security challenge both in Afghanistan and beyond its borders. Special services of Russia and former Soviet republics from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) expressed their concern about the rise of terrorism in September. At the same time, Zhirnov stressed that the Taliban has achieved certain success in the fight against ISIS (the former name of the Islamic State terrorist group, outlawed in Russia) and has proclaimed a course to eradicate the drug industry.

About the format

The Moscow Format on Afghanistan was established in 2017 to facilitate efforts to promote the process of national reconciliation in Afghanistan. Its previous meeting took place in Moscow in November 2022. Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey were present at the meeting as observers. The Taliban welcomed the Moscow Format on Afghanistan and expressed their desire to participate in future consultations.