Moscow: Ready to Coordinate Efforts to Support Reconstruction in Afghanistan

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Participants in the third Moscow format talks on Afghanistan, held today, expressed their concerns about the activities of terrorist groups in the country.

In a joint statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry after the meeting, the participants expressed their concerns "about the activities of proscribed terrorist organizations in Afghanistan." Moreover, "the sides reaffirmed their willingness to continue to promote security in Afghanistan to contribute to regional stability."

The meeting discussed the future of military and political developments in Afghanistan.

🔴 #LIVE: Sergey #Lavrov's address at the opening ceremony of the Moscow format consultations Third meeting on #Afghanistan.https://t.co/IzoTC4LBVT

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) October 20, 2021

The joint statement also said the participants confirmed the importance of forming an inclusive Afghan government that "adequately reflects the interests of all major ethnopolitical forces in the country."

The Foreign Ministry also clarified that taking into account the deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the international community must mobilize efforts to provide assistance to the Afghan people in the reconstruction of the country.

The participants also proposed the launch of an UN-sponsored international donor conference, "with the understanding that the core burden of post-conflict economic and financial reconstruction and development of Afghanistan must be shouldered by troop-based actors which were in the country for the past 20 years."

Representatives from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan attended the meeting, in addition to a senior Taliban delegation.

The Talks

The Russian Foreign Ministry had announced Tuesday that the goal behind the Moscow talks was to enhance the efforts of the international community to prevent a humanitarian crisis.

President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials have been vocal about their concerns over Afghanistan after the Taliban assumed power and foreign forces withdrew after a 20-year invasion.