Pakistan FM says Taliban will be invited for ministerial meet of Afghanistan's neighbours

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi stated that the Taliban will be invited to the third ministerial meeting of Afghanistan's neighbours, reported Dawn. "The interim government of Afghanistan will be invited to the next meeting of Afghanistan's neighbours which is expected to be held in China," he was quoted as saying by the outlet. Speaking at the meeting of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Qureshi stated that Pakistan has devised a new framework for consultations among Afghanistan's neighbours since the Taliban's takeover of the war-torn country. 

On September 8, the first meeting of Afghanistan's neighbours were held in Islamabad whereas Iran hosted the second meeting on October 27, reported the outlet. The report further stated that the Taliban were not invited to attend the first two meetings because it lacked international recognition. In their joint communique, the participants of the second meeting urged the international community to continue to engage positively with Afghanistan. They also reportedly urged to build a long-term roadmap to promote the agenda of political engagement, economic integration, and regional connectivity.

'The next meeting of Afghanistan's neighbours likely to be held next year'

Although dates have not been finalised, the next meeting is likely to be held early next year in China. According to Dawn, several countries are increasingly engaging with the interim government despite the Taliban's lack of international recognition. The report stated that several foreign ministers visited Kabul in recent weeks, and members of the Extended Troika format on Afghanistan met Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on the sidelines of their meeting in Islamabad last week. At present, the Extended Troika includes Russia, China, Pakistan and the United States. 

It should be mentioned here that last month, members of the Extended Troika format assembled in Moscow and discussed several key issues. The participants discussed mutual security threats and highlighted a shared desire to provide immediate humanitarian and economic aid to Afghanistan. The United States, on the other hand, did not attend the meeting, reported news agency Sputnik citing the Russian Foreign Ministry statement. Last week, India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also presided over a regional security dialogue on Afghanistan in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by National Security Advisors of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Russia and Iran.

Image: AP