Regional powers gathered in Moscow on Monday for talks on Afghanistan, focusing on security, economic cooperation and Kabul’s relations with its neighbours.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attended the eighth round of Moscow Format consultations, hosted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Representatives from China, India, Iran, Pakistan and five Central Asian countries also took part, while Belarus and Egypt attended as guests.
The Moscow Format was established in 2017 as a regional platform for consultations on Afghanistan. It brings Afghanistan together with countries in the region to discuss political and security developments, economic cooperation, terrorism and narcotics.
Addressing the meeting, Muttaqi said Afghanistan was seeking closer political and economic engagement with countries in the region while maintaining an independent foreign policy.
“Afghanistan believes that the future of our region should be built on collective security rather than security competition, economic integration, regional connectivity, and dialogue and understanding rather than pressure,” Muttaqi said.
Turning to relations with Pakistan, Muttaqi said disagreements between the neighbouring countries should be resolved through diplomacy. He also accused Pakistan’s military of carrying out attacks inside Afghanistan.
“Our fundamental belief is that the existing problems between Afghanistan and Pakistan, whether security-related, political or economic, can be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.
Muttaqi also called for greater regional investment in Afghanistan, pointing to TAPI, CASA-1000 and the Trans-Afghan Railway as projects that could better integrate the country with regional economies.
“We believe Afghanistan should not be an arena for regional competition, but rather a point of connectivity for regional cooperation,” he said.
Lavrov highlighted security, humanitarian assistance and economic cooperation, while rejecting any return of NATO military infrastructure to Afghanistan or neighbouring countries.
“I would once again like to emphasise the categorical unacceptability of deploying NATO military infrastructure on the territory of Afghanistan and neighbouring states under any pretext,” Lavrov said.
He also called for greater regional support for Afghanistan’s efforts to combat terrorism.
“It is in our common interests to help strengthen Kabul’s counterterrorism potential by providing material, technical and expert assistance,” he said.
Citing UN figures, Lavrov said more than 17 million Afghans could face food shortages this winter and around 22 million required humanitarian assistance. He added that Russia would continue to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
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