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Mascow Hosts 2nd Round of Talks on Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: October 24, 2022)

Russia is hosting a second round of talks on Afghanistan today (Wednesday Feb, 15) in Mascow, with Afghanistan representatives invited for the first time.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Tuesday confirmed that a representative from Kabul will also join the meeting which aims to stabilize and cooperate in the fight against extremism.

“The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan will take part in Mascow meeting. The Director General of Policy and Strategy for Ministry of Foreign Affairs will lead the Afghan delegation. Coordination among the  countries over the Afghan peace-process is the main topic of the meeting. These talks cannot be the alternative for the Afghan-led peace talks,” Shekib Mustaghni spokesman for the MoFA said.

The peace talks was announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on February 7, during a visit by his Afghan counterpart, Salahuddin Rabbani.

Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Russia, Iran and India representatives are invited to the talks. The first round of the talks were held between China, Pakistan and Russia in Moscow in December.

Meanwhile, experts believe that talks without the presence of U.S. and NATO representatives will not have any result.

“The United States and NATO countries have a very strong presence and influence in Afghanistan. Lack of their presence in Mascow talks will affect negatively on any decision which is going to be taken on Afghanistan,” said Asadullah Nadeem a military expert.

The United States which is a key player in Afghanistan since 2001, has not been invited to participate in the talks. The exclusion of Kabul from the first round of talks raised concerns among Afghans and U.S. officials.

“If the participants of the talks make their sincere efforts, the session will have a positive result, but if they only work for the interest of their own countries then it will not have any result, same as the previous talks,” Mohammad Nader Afghan a political expert said.

Afghanistan is on the front-line fighting against terrorism and extremism on behalf of the world since many years. Sincere efforts by world powers and regional countries are required in the fight against terrorism to avoid Afghanistan from becoming the main-hub for international terrorists.

Reported by: Rafi Sediqi

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Contract worth $53 million signed for construction of last section of Khaf–Herat railway

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

A contract worth $53 million was signed Thursday for the construction of the last section of Khaf-Herat railway that connects Afghanistan with Iran.

The contract was signed between Afghanistan Railway Authority and Gamma Group in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, his office said in a statement.

The segment is 47-kilometer long, stretching from Rabat Parian to Herat International Airport and the Industrial Town, according to the statement.

It added that completion and standard operational readiness are expected within approximately two years.

“Upon its completion, this segment will integrate the Khaf-Herat regional connectivity project with Iran’s significant seaports and facilitate access to Europe via the Turkish railway network,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, traversing Afghan territory, it will bolster commercial exchanges between Central and South Asia. Notably, this project’s realization will enable the expansion of railway networks into Farah, Nimruz, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces,” it added.

Gamma operates across Europe and Asia in multiple sectors including construction, renewable energy, power transmission, mining, railways among others.

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US urges IEA to fulfill counter-terrorism commitments

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington is committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism, and we continue to push the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) to fulfill all of their counterterrorism commitments to the international community,” the department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing in Washington.

He reiterated that the United States had clearly communicated to the IEA that it’s their responsibility to ensure that “they give no safe haven to terrorists, whether it be Al Qaeda or ISIS-K or any other terrorist organization”.

Miller also reassured US allies that Washington was closely watching the developments in Afghanistan and was ready to deal with any threat emerging from the region.

“We remain vigilant against the evolving threat of these terrorist groups, and our global coalition to defeat ISIS and the C5+1 help intensify our efforts to monitor terrorist threats from the region and prevent their ability to raise funds, travel, and spread propaganda,” he said.

C5+1 refers to a diplomatic platform involving the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgy­zstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the United States. It serves as a forum for discussing and addressing regional issues such as security, economic development, and cooperation.

“The United States remains vigilant against the evolving threat posed by terrorist groups, including ISIS-K, and has maintained an unwavering focus on terrorism since President Joe Biden took office three years ago,” Miller said.

The US, he said, was “working both unilaterally and with its partners to successfully disrupt threats across the globe and degrade ISIS”.

“We will continue to work to hold ISIS accountable for its actions and to prevent terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western countries,” Miller said.

This comes as IEA has repeatedly said that it is committed to not allowing anyone to use Afghanistan soil against any other country.

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IEA condemns Israel for confiscating 800 hectares of land in West Bank’s Jordan Valley

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) strongly condemned on Thursday Israel’s decision to seize 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank’s Jordan Valley region.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that the recent actions by “the Zionist regime demonstrate that it does not to adhere to international laws, especially international humanitarian law.”

“Continuation of such unilateral actions and ignoring the rights of Palestinian people will further deteriorate the situation,” the statement said.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expects international actors, particularly influential regional Muslim countries to fulfill their legitimate, human and moral responsibilities in supporting the oppressed people of Palestine and prevent the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied territories,” it added.

Israeli media have reported that Israel seized 800 hectares of land in the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank, claiming it as “state land.”

It is reported the seized land could be used for the construction of illegal Jewish settlements.

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