ROME, September 2. /TASS/. An extraordinary G20 summit dedicated to the developments in Afghanistan will be held after the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi told a press conference on Thursday.
"In any case, the summit will be held after the UNGA," he said.
Draghi noted that he has a phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping scheduled for next week.
Italy currently holds the rotating G20 presidency and is now engaged in efforts to put together an extraordinary summit of the club focused on Afghanistan. La Repubblica earlier reported that the meeting could be held in the period between September 8 and 10 or September 15 and 17. According to the newspaper, the summit will take place online. At the same time, it was noted that organizers were not planning to conduct the urgent summit after September 17 so that the event doesn’t overlap with the UNGA session.
The Taliban (outlawed in Russia) launched a large-scale operation to regain control over Afghanistan after the United States announced the withdrawal of its military personnel from the country. On August 15, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and fled the country, and the Taliban forces swept into Kabul, meeting no resistance. The forces opposing the Taliban rule offered resistance, which was headed by Ahmad Massoud, in the Panjshir Province. Saleh, who declared himself "caretaker president," urged the country to support it. US service members fully withdrew from Afghanistan in the early hours of Tuesday, marking the end of their 20-year presence in the country.