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Second round of regional meeting on Afghanistan held in Tehran
The second meeting of the Regional Contact Group for Afghanistan, known as the Moscow Format, was held on Saturday in Tehran, the capital of Iran.
Iranian media reported that the representatives of Iran, Russia, China and Pakistan attended the meeting.
At the meeting, the Director-General of the South Asia Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran Seyyed Rasoul Mousavi said that the countries of the region play a constructive role in ensuring the peace, stability, and development of Afghanistan.
Mousavi added that in regional meetings, in addition to recalling the problems, solutions and ways to get out of these issues should also be considered.
Despite the invitation, the Islamic Emirate did not participate in the meeting.
Zakir Jalaly, Director of the Third Political Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, said that the IEA declined the invitation to a regional meeting.
Jalaly said in a post on X that the Afghan government declined the invitation to the meeting. He said that the Afghan government expects that meetings on Afghanistan should be held through the existing mechanisms, not new ones.
Meanwhile, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a press conference in Islamabad that the second meeting of the contact group hosted by Iran is important to ensure peace, security and stability in the region.
Zahra Baloch added that Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Asif Ali Khan Durrani participated in this meeting.
“Pakistan believes that the role of the regional contact group is very important for Afghanistan and provides an opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation. Consultations at the regional contact group level ensure that Afghanistan does not become a center for terrorist activities, and at the same time, the neighboring countries support Afghanistan’s efforts for the welfare and economic improvement of their people,” she said.
Earlier, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said that the agenda of the third Doha meeting will also be discussed at the meeting of the contact group in Tehran.
The Moscow Format meeting is being held in Tehran while the representatives of twenty-five countries and some envoys of international organizations and institutions are scheduled to meet in Doha on June 30 and July 1 to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
The Islamic Emirate has announced that it will not participate in the upcoming meeting of special envoys of regional countries on Afghanistan, scheduled to be held in Tehran, despite having received an invitation.
In a statement, Zia Ahmad Takal, Head of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Islamic Emirate has maintained continuous and active engagement with all regional countries through various organizations, regional formats, and bilateral mechanisms, achieving notable progress in promoting mutual understanding and regional cooperation.
The statement added that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes regional cooperation should be advanced by strengthening existing mechanisms and formats within the region.
Tehran is set to host the meeting next week, with special envoys from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia expected to attend.
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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