Taliban To Join Moscow Format As Official Member For First Time
The Taliban said Sunday its delegation, led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, will attend next month’s Moscow Format on Afghanistan as an official member for the first time.
The Taliban said Sunday its delegation, led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, will attend next month’s Moscow Format on Afghanistan as an official member for the first time.
Russia’s ambassador to Kabul, Dmitry Zhirnov, met with Muttaqi and welcomed the group’s formal participation in the forum, according to a statement from the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry.
Muttaqi described the Taliban’s inclusion as “an important step” and voiced hope that such platforms would help build trust between Afghanistan and regional countries.
The sixth Moscow Format meeting on Afghanistan was held on 4 October last year in the Russian capital with senior representatives from Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Muttaqi attended that session only as a guest.
Participants at the time urged the Taliban to establish a balanced, effective and inclusive government that would safeguard the rights and interests of all Afghans, including women, girls and ethnic minorities.
Russia is the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban administration and has expanded political and diplomatic engagement with the group.
Muttaqi’s planned trip comes despite his name appearing on the UN Security Council’s sanctions list. It remains unclear whether he will be granted an exemption to travel to Moscow. Previous planned visits to Pakistan and India were cancelled after the sanctions committee declined to issue waivers.
