The seventh round of the Moscow Format talks on Afghanistan opened in Russia on Tuesday bringing together officials from Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
For the first time, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is attending the meeting as an official member. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier announced that a delegation from Belarus had also been invited.
Moscow Warns Against Foreign Military Presence
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cautioned during the session that the presence of extra-regional military forces in Afghanistan could spark new conflicts.
“We firmly believe that the deployment of military infrastructure by third countries on Afghan territory, or in neighbouring states under any pretext, is unacceptable,” Lavrov said.
He also urged Western nations to “reconsider their approach” to Afghanistan, emphasising that humanitarian assistance to the country should not be linked to political conditions.
Bagram Air Base ‘Not on the Agenda’
Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, told the TASS news agency that the issue of the US ultimatum over Bagram Air Base was not on the Moscow Format’s agenda.
“No such nonsense will be discussed,” Kabulov said.
