The meeting of “Moscow Format” with the presence of the delegation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) and the representatives of the countries of the region started on Friday in the city of Kazan, Russia.
In the meeting, Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said that no foreign prescription has solved Afghanistan’s problems in the past 45 years.
Muttaqi said that Afghanistan is ready to interact positively with every country based on common legitimate interests, added that: “We hope that all countries will use this opportunity considering their national interests.”
He added: “Now more than ever, the opportunity for the implementation of the North-South Trade Corridor has been provided. It should also be important for countries in the region to know how to protect their interests and take advantage of the opportunities.”
In the meeting, the representatives of the neighboring countries also talked about Afghanistan and asked the United States to lift the sanctions on Afghanistan.
The special representative of China said that in the last two years, the Afghan government has taken important steps in the security, economic and social areas.
He also said that the United States should lift the sanctions against the people of Afghanistan.
“The travel ban of some Afghan government leaders should be lifted and they should be given the opportunity to participate in regional and international meetings,” he added.
The special representative of Uzbekistan said that it is very good that Afghanistan will become part of the “North-South Corridor”.
He said: “Big projects should be implemented in Afghanistan, including the Surkhan-Puli-Khumri power transmission, and other projects in order to fully revive the national economy of Afghanistan.”
He also welcomed the return of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to Afghanistan.
According to him, Western countries present a negative image of Afghanistan.
“We continue our interaction with Afghanistan and we agree with China that the representative of Afghanistan must be present in such meetings,” he said.
Talat Beg, the special representative of Kyrgyzstan, said: “The current government of Afghanistan has good achievements such as keeping the value of the currency stable, controlling inflation and fighting corruption. Kyrgyzstan hopes for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. We want friendly relations with Afghanistan.”
Representatives of neighboring countries asked other countries to interact with Afghanistan.
The special representative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said that they want interaction and cooperation with Afghanistan.
“We sent our ambassador to Afghanistan a week ago. We must be present in Afghanistan. This shows that we want interaction and cooperation with Afghanistan. We want a peaceful and stable Afghanistan,” he said.
The special representative of India also said that they have maintained their assistance and relations with Afghanistan.
“We have invested about three billion dollars in Afghanistan and 35,000 students have entered Indian universities,” he said.
He also praised the Islamic Emirate’s fight against drugs and terrorism and added: “Our priority should be humanitarian aid.”
According to reports, representatives of ten countries, including China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, participated in the recent meeting of Moscow format, and representatives of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Turkey participated as observer members.
The special representative of Russia for Afghanistan has said that there will be no one representing the United States at the Moscow format meeting.
Friday’s session is the fifth gathering of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan. It was created in 2017 on the basis of a six-party consultation mechanism of special representatives of Russia, Afghanistan, India, Iran, China, and Pakistan.
Its first meeting was held on April 14, 2017 with the participation of deputy ministers and special representatives of 11 countries, including the Afghan side.
The main goal is to promote the process of national reconciliation in Afghanistan and the early establishment of peace. The last, fourth meeting, was held in November 2022 in Moscow, without the participation of the Islamic Emirate.