BEIJING, March 31. /TASS/. A dialogue between the foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighboring countries (Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and Afghanistan was held in Tunxi (Anhui Province, Eastern China) on Thursday. The meeting opened after the plenary session of the Third Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan, China Central Television reported.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is participating in the meeting in Tunxi. The Afghan side is represented by Amir Khan Muttaqi, who has been appointed by the Taliban (banned in Russia) as Foreign Minister in the country's interim cabinet.
The two ministers met on the sidelines of the meeting, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Thursday on her Telegram channel.
"On the sidelines of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan, Sergey Lavrov had a conversation with this country's [Afghan] acting Foreign Minister Muttaqi," the diplomat wrote.
Simultaneously, another meeting of the extended Troika on Afghanistan (Russia, China, the United States, and Pakistan) was held among special representatives.
On Wednesday, the Russian delegation held a series of bilateral meetings with delegates from different countries in Tunxi. Lavrov told reporters that a common approach to what was happening on the global stage was set.