DUBAI, October 1. /TASS/. The participants in the Moscow format consultations on Afghanistan have agreed on the need to prevent the US from returning to the country, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's special envoy to Afghanistan, said.

He pointed out that the participants in the Moscow format reached a consensus that "it is necessary to prevent the return of the US [to Afghanistan] and hold it accountable for the damage caused by 20 years of occupation". "I highly appreciated the actions of the interim [Afghan] government in the fight against the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, banned in Russia - TASS) and its attempts to improve the economic situation, and pointed out that it is necessary to respond to the concerns of the people of Afghanistan and neighboring countries," he told the IRNA news agency.

On September 29, the fifth meeting of the countries participating in the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan was held in Kazan at the level of special representatives and senior officials of China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The meeting was also attended by the foreign minister of the interim government of Afghanistan formed by the radical Taliban (outlawed in Russia). Representatives of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey attended as guests of honor. In a joint statement after the meeting, the parties "noted the unacceptability of the deployment of military infrastructure facilities of third countries in Afghanistan and its neighboring states under any pretext."

After the US announced its decision to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan in the spring of 2021, the Taliban launched a major operation to take control of the country. On August 15, they entered Kabul without a fight, and on September 7, they announced the composition of the interim government, whose legitimacy has not yet been recognized by any country.