The 6th Moscow Format Meeting on Afghanistan began on Friday morning. Representatives of Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the Taliban are attending the meeting.
The main part of the meeting will be held behind closed doors. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that "the priority of the meeting will be to discuss the Afghan peace process and expand practical interaction between the governments of the region and Kabul in the political, economic, counter-terrorism and narcotics fields”.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to meet with Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss bilateral cooperation. A joint statement is expected to be issued after the meeting.
The donor meeting for Afghanistan hosted by the United Nations began on Thursday, October 3, in Dubai.
In this meeting, domestic and international institutions and political representatives of countries discussed assistance to Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban, which is facing a severe humanitarian crisis.
Participants discussed how to provide assistance to Afghanistan and reaffirmed their commitment to continuing humanitarian support to the Afghan people.
Participants reviewed monitoring mechanisms and emphasised on the need for transparency in aid delivery.
They also stated that Afghanistan remains at the centre of the strategy of donor organisations and countries.
However, participants stressed that "it is the responsibility of all stakeholders to create conditions in which Afghans can make ends meet through employment rather than continued dependence on international aid”.
The meeting also discussed the challenges arising from the Taliban's new restrictions under the "Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law. The law imposes severe restrictions, especially on women.
According to the United Nations, Afghanistan is facing one of the biggest humanitarian crises. At least 23 million people in the country are in need of humanitarian assistance. However, there are concerns about the reduction of this aid.
Some countries and international organisations have also expressed concern that the Taliban may misuse humanitarian aid.
Karen Decker, Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy for Afghanistan, who was present at the donor meeting for Afghanistan, told the media that the United States has provided $2.3 billion in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan since the fall of the republic.
Decker also noted that the results of the work of the two economic and drug groups "Doha III" will be reviewed by the United Nations soon, and the next major meeting in Doha will be held.
Karen Decker, Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Kabul, was introduced as the person responsible for advancing the country's foreign policy for Afghanistan. Decker explained her priorities during a meeting with Afghan media editors on Thursday, October 3.
Decker said that the US policy toward Afghanistan will not change with the departure of Special Representative Tom West.
Tom West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, stepped down this week after three years. The US State Department has announced that West will continue to work on the State Department's sanctions department.
"I have been asked to take on the responsibilities of the US special envoy for Afghanistan," Decker told reporters at Thursday's meeting.
In response to a question from Afghanistan International, Decker explained her priorities, "The future of Afghanistan should be determined by the Afghans themselves and through a process in their hands."
"It is my great responsibility to be the voice of Afghans who have been deprived of their right to expression," the US diplomat added.
She also said that the United States will continue to engage with the Taliban administration in a practical and principled manner.
She praised the three-year mission of Tom West, adding that addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has been one of West's achievements.
Decker added that since the fall of the previous Afghan government, the United States has provided $2.3 billion in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
In another part of her speech, Decker told Afghanistan International that Washington will not participate in next week's Moscow meeting. She said that there are many regional meetings on Afghanistan that the United States does not have to participate in all of them, but she will follow these talks.
Bakhtar News Agency, the Taliban-controlled state media, reported that 299 Afghan families had returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan in a single day.
The outlet reported on Thursday, October 3, that 232 families had been deported from Iran and 67 families from Pakistan.
The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported that the families had returned to Afghanistan from the Torkham, Spin Boldak, Pul-e-Abrisham and Islam Qala crossings.
This comes as the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and Iran has increased sharply in recent months. Many Afghan immigrants complain about the harsh living conditions and deportation process in these two countries.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko announced that the Taliban's request to participate in the BRICS summit has not yet been approved.
Rudenko said that the BRICS countries have not yet reached a consensus for the presence of a Taliban representative in the meeting.
Russian state news agency TASS reported on Thursday (October 3) that Andrei Rondko had said that the invitation to the guests would be done with the consensus of the BRICS countries.
Declaring that there is still no agreement on the Taliban's participation, he added that nothing can be ruled out.
The BRICS summit is scheduled to be held from October 22 to 24 in the Russian city of Kazan.
A few days ago, Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported that the Taliban had sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov asking him to attend the BRICS leaders' meeting. The letter states that Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's deputy prime minister, is interested in attending the BRICS meeting in the city of Kazan.
The main members of the BRICS group include Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The group expanded with the membership of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia at the beginning of this year.
On Wednesday, September 25, Zabihullah Mujahid told the Taliban-controlled National Radio and Television of Afghanistan that powerful countries in the field of economy are members of the BRICS, and that is why Taliban representatives want to participate in the upcoming meeting. He added that the move could provide more opportunities for Afghanistan.
The Taliban is still considered a terrorist group in Russia. However, Moscow has diplomatic relations with the Taliban, and Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's foreign minister, is currently in Moscow to attend a meeting on Afghanistan. The Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan will be held on October 4.
Amnesty International has called the arrest of Jawed Kohistani, a political analyst and Hekmat Aryan, the head of a local radio station in Ghazni, a relentless crackdown on freedom of expression by the Taliban.
The group said that the Taliban had illegally detained Kohistani and Arian and they should be released immediately.
Amnesty International wrote on its official page on the X social media network on Thursday, that the Taliban's retaliatory measures violate Afghanistan's obligations under international human rights law.
On the other hand, the Afghanistan Journalists Support Organisation said in a statement that journalists and media workers in Afghanistan face serious threats and dangers compared to other parts of the world. The organisation stressed that journalists in Afghanistan are under pressure, censorship, torture and threats from the Taliban.
Earlier, the Afghanistan Journalists Centre announced that Hekmat Aryan was arrested by the Taliban intelligence agency from his office in Ghazni city on Sunday, September 29.
"Aryan has been accused of speaking in an audio tape about the Taliban's suicide operations in past wars and broadcasting them on the radio," the Afghanistan Journalists Centre said in a statement on Wednesday.
However, the Journalists Support Organisation says that journalists in Afghanistan currently do not have the right to work independence, freedom of expression, economic support, and the necessary facilities to inform the public. The organisation called on international institutions and human rights organisations to prevent the Taliban's mistreatment of journalists.