Taliban refuses to participate in regional ministerial meeting on Afghan's development

Taliban has refused to participate in an upcoming regional meeting on Afghanistan, albeit it said that the discussion will be “good for the country.” Last week, Iran announced that it will host a high-level ministerial meeting on October 27 which will focus formation of an inclusive government in the central Asian country. The meeting-a second since the Taliban takeover-will see foreign ministers of six countries in attendance.

On Monday, the Taliban’s spokesperson and deputy culture and information minister said that the Emirate administration will not participate in the meet. Apart from Afghan’s regional neighbours-China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, the meet will also include Russia. Notably, the announcement comes as Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi held bilateral talks with the Iranian ambassador during which multiple issues were brought to the table. One particular issue was the increased exodus of displaced Afghan residents to Iran.  Both the countries not only share cultural ties but a border as long as 945km (587 miles). 

'Afghanistan damaged by Taliban'

This comes as day after the Taliban acknowledged for the first time that the old government's (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) collapse was not in the people's best interests and did not occur in a planned manner. In a special interview with Tolo News, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Zabiullah Mujahid made the remarks. "In my opinion, Afghanistan was damaged by it because if war was stopped and we reached a meaningful negotiation, the situation would have been better and different from now. And the result would have avoided the collapse of institutions and the fleeing of people from the country," he stated, Tolo News reported.

According to the news agency, Mujahid stated that if peace negotiations between the two Afghan sides had persisted and culminated in the conclusion of the country's war, the situation would be better than it is now. Changes in the existing cabinet are possible, he continued, because the path for further dialogue has remained open. However, other countries' reservations about certain members of the administration are unacceptable. "We are reiterating, again and again, the terms of inclusivity means something like this ... If the aim is to include the people, we have already included various ethnicities in the current government, and they are part of the cabinet," he stated.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP)