Taliban confirms participation in Moscow Format Meeting on Afghanistan
Oct 15, 2021
Moscow [Russia], October 15 : A delegation of the Taliban will take part in the Moscow-format meeting on Afghanistan, which is being hosted by Russia on October 20, reported Sputnik.
The delegation will be headed by Abdul Salam Hanafi, deputy prime minister of the interim Afghan government, Afghan Foreign Ministry's spokesman, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, wrote on Twitter.
According to his statement, the Taliban plan to hold negotiations with representatives of different countries on issues of mutual interest during their visit to Moscow.
The Moscow format meeting is due on October 20. The Moscow format was introduced in 2017 on the basis of the six-party mechanism for consultations between special representatives from Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Iran, and India, the Russian news agency reported.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow was expecting the arrival of a large Taliban delegation for consultations on Afghanistan next week. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that preparations for contacts on Afghanistan were underway, TASS reported.
India's participation is likely at the level of joint secretary.
Meanwhile, India has also confirmed its participation in the talks. The Ministry of External Affairs yesterday said India has received an invitation to the Moscow Format Meeting on Afghanistan on October 20 and will be participating in it.
