Istanbul Conference postponed until ‘meaningful progress can be made’

Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations officially announced the postponement of the planned Istanbul Conference scheduled from april 24 to May 4.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the three co-hosts said: “In view of recent developments, and after extensive consultations with the parties, it has been agreed to postpone the conference to a later date when conditions for making meaningful progress would be more favorable.

“Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations will resolutely continue their earnest efforts to achieve peace in Afghanistan,” the statement read.

The co-hosts had planned the conference with the participation of the representatives of the Afghan Republic and the Taliban to add momentum to the negotiations that started in Doha last September to achieve a just and lasting peace in Afghanistan, read the statement.

Last week however, the Taliban issued a short statement saying they would not attend any peace conference until all foreign troops had withdrawn from the country.

Their announcement followed closely on the heels of US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s announcement that all foreign troops would be out of Afghanistan by September 11.

The Taliban said however this was in contravention of the US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha last year which stipulated foreign troops need to leave by May 1.