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Turkey confirms Istanbul Conference to start on April 24
Turkey’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday the Istanbul Conference will start on April 24 and run through to May 4.
In a statement issued by the ministry, Turkish officials stated Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations will co-convene the conference “between representatives of the islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban.”
The conference will be hosted by Turkey in Istanbul.
“The overriding objective of the Istanbul Conference on the Afghanistan Peace Process is to accelerate and complement the ongoing intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha on the achievement of a just and durable political settlement,” read the statement.
The ministry also said participation in the conference and its agenda have been the subject of extensive consultations with the Afghan parties.
“The conference will focus on helping the negotiating parties reach a set of shared, foundational principles that reflect and agreed vision for a future Afghanistan, a roadmap to a future political settlement and an end o the conflict.”
The ministry said it “is our expectation that the conference will provide an important opportunity for all partners to reiterate support for the people of Afghanistan on their path toward inclusive peace, stability, and prosperity.”
This comes just hours after Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported that sources from the ministry of foreign affairs said the start of the talks would likely be postponed until later this month.
All indications until now pointed towards talks starting later this week.
However, a Taliban spokesperson said Monday that the group would not attend the peace conference tentatively planned for later this week in Turkey, putting U.S. efforts to set in place a peace plan anytime soon in jeopardy.
A spokesperson for the Taliban’s political office Mohammad Naeem said on Monday night that the group would however discuss whether to attend talks if they were set for a later date.
Naeem said attendance at the conference and the Blinken peace proposal were being discussed “and whenever the discussion is completed we will share our final decision.”
Moldova’s government has included Afghan airlines in its updated list of carriers banned or restricted from operating in the country, effective 19 February 2026, in line with EU aviation safety rules.
The order, signed by Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Bolea, covers more than 200 airlines from around 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Most face a complete operating ban in Moldovan airspace and airports, while some have limited operational permissions, state news agency Moldpres reported.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Moldova will monitor compliance. The ban remains in place until Moldova joins the European Union.
Iranian border authorities say they have saved the lives of 700 Afghan nationals who were attempting to enter the country irregularly and had become severely affected by cold weather.
According to Iranian media reports, Majid Shoja, commander of the border forces in Razavi Khorasan province, said that heavy rainfall and harsh weather conditions along the Taybad frontier had exposed the group to hypothermia and a serious risk of death. He added that Iranian border units deployed medical teams and used all available resources to treat the affected individuals.
Shoja urged Afghan citizens to use official and legal border crossings if they need to travel to Iran, warning that unauthorized entry will be met with legal consequences.
Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Afghanistan, says he will present a report on the right to health for Afghan women and girls at the upcoming 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Bennett announced on X that his presentation is scheduled for 26 February, and he will also deliver an oral statement covering concerning recent human rights developments.
Bennett has repeatedly warned that ongoing limitations on women’s rights—including education, employment, movement, and access to essential services—pose serious risks to Afghanistan’s social and humanitarian stability.
The 61st session of the Human Rights Council comes at a time when international agencies continue to urge the Islamic Emirate authorities to reverse policies that disproportionately affect women and girls and to restore their access to basic rights and services.
The Islamic Emirate has emphasized that its policies on women and girls are in accordance with the Sharia law.
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