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Meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow delayed, says Afghan government

On August 23, am Afghani diplomat told TASS Kabul was not considering participation in the Moscow-format talks

© AP Photo/Rahmat Gul

MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/. Moscow consultations on peaceful regulation in Afghanistan, set to take place on September 4, have been postponed, Afghan TV channel TOLO news reported, citing government sources.

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The article published on the channel’s website informs that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani had a phone conversation, during which they decided to postpone the planned peace talks in Moscow, as this should be "an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led process."

"In the telephonic conversation, it was decided to postpone the Moscow conference so that the two countries can coordinate on further preparations and effectiveness of the process," the official statement by Ghani said.

It was reported earlier that Moscow planned to host the consultations on September 4. The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier it had sent out the invitations to twelve countries, including the US, to take part in the talks, but Washington had said it would abstain.

Russia also invited leaders of the political office of Taliban [banned in Russia at the decision of the Supreme Court] which is located in Doha, Qatar.

On August 23, the Afghan President’s special envoy for Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Mohammad Shakir Kargar, told TASS Kabul was not considering participation in the Moscow-format talks. The Russian Foreign Ministry replied that it hoped Afghan representatives would come to Moscow.

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