Acting Afghan FM to participate in Moscow talks on Afghanistan

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Sep 2023 22:33

The meeting will be held in the Russian city of Kazan on September 29.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (AFP)

A Taliban source confirmed to Sputnik on Thursday that Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will attend the Moscow-format meeting on Afghanistan in Russia at the end of September.

The meeting will be held in the Russian city of Kazan on September 29, as announced by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Wednesday.

"Yes, he [Muttaqi] will take part," a source said.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko expressed hopes that the Taliban would participate in the meeting, emphasizing the group's importance in stabilizing the country.

"Essentially, all participants of the Moscow format have expressed their intention to attend and engage in discussions regarding Afghanistan. We also hope that representatives from the current Afghan authorities will be in attendance," the deputy minister said in response to a question from TASS.

The meeting will be attended by representatives from Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan caused mayhem in the entire country, as the US officially withdrew in August of 2021 after 20 years of occupation.

Although the Taliban government is not internationally recognized, Russia and China are convening with representatives of the Taliban in order to restore the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. The UN estimates that ISIS attacks have resulted in approximately 700 deaths since the US withdrawal in August 2021.

After the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, the US-backed government was dissolved, leaving behind over $7 billion in central bank assets frozen by the US Federal Reserve Bank in New York.

US President Joe Biden later signed an executive order to freeze the $7 billion, claiming that the funds will be used for humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan and compensating American victims of terrorism, including 9/11 families. It is noteworthy that none of the 9/11 hijackers were Afghan.