MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. The main outcome of the Moscow format consultations on Afghanistan, held on October 20, was expressing a common view among the region’s countries on resolving the Afghan issue, Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan and Director of the Foreign Ministry's Second Asia Department Zamir Kabulov said on Monday.
"Among the main outcomes of these talks was the fact that the regional states, both those bordering Afghanistan and those in the region's neighborhood, had reached a common ground, including on their expectations from the new Afghan government and the observance of basic human norms," the diplomat noted.
The Moscow format was established in 2017 on the basis of a six-party consultation mechanism of the special envoys of Russia, Afghanistan, India, Iran, China and Pakistan. During the Moscow format talks held in late October, the participants called on the UN to convene the international donor conference to provide socio-economic assistance to the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
The Taliban (outlawed in Russia) embarked on a large-scale operation to take control of Afghanistan after the US had announced its intention to withdraw its forces in the spring. On August 15, Taliban fighters swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance, with Afghanistan’s then President Ashraf Ghani subsequently fleeing the country. On September 6, the Taliban gained full control over Afghanistan, and on September 7, the radicals announced the new interim government, which has not been recognized yet.