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Senior Russian diplomat says Turkey could take part in Afghan peace process

Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov noted that Ankara’s bid to host an international conference on Afghanistan had come up empty

MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. Turkey can take part in the Afghan peace process later on, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan and Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department Zamir Kabulov revealed at an online briefing on Thursday.

"Such a format already exists. Turkey is not involved in it yet, but that does not mean that it will not take part [in it] in the future," he said, when asked whether it was possible to create a multilateral format of negotiations on Afghanistan similar to the Astana process on Syria, which includes Turkey.

"We have established the criteria together with the Chinese, the Americans and the Pakistanis. As soon as we can successfully launch the intra-Afghan negotiations, the next phase of international assistance will begin, it will be economic assistance to Afghanistan to restore the socio-economic sphere," he stated.

Kabulov also noted that Ankara’s bid to host an international conference on Afghanistan had come up empty. "Turkey, through an arrangement with the Americans, while failing to inform Kabul [about that], agreed to take over both the security and operation of Kabul International Airport," he pointed out. "We had certain doubts about that. The Taliban (outlawed in Russia - TASS) unequivocally rejected and condemned this decision, stressing that Turkey was a NATO member, which means that the agreements on withdrawing all foreign troops apply to it as well," the diplomat noted.

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