PESHAWAR - Senior officials from Russia, China and Pakistan have agreed on expanding tripartite consultations on Afghanistan and including other countries in the regional discussions.
Russia and China, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, decided to work towards removing Taliban from the world body’s sanctions list in an effort to pave the ground for peace talks.
In a joint statement issued at the end of their trilateral meeting, the three countries said: “The parties agreed to proceed with consultations in an expanded format and would welcome the participation of Afghanistan.”
The three-way talks that discussed the current situation in Afghanistan were held in Moscow on Tuesday, with Kabul protesting its exclusions from the consultations.
It was the third round of talks among the three countries on the “deteriorating situation in Afghanistan”, particularly at the rise of the Islamic State (IS) group -- also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh.
The previous two rounds were not publicly announced. The announcement of the latest talks irked Kabul, which questioned the effectiveness of a process on Afghanistan without its representation.
The three nations renewed their support for the reconciliation process in Afghanistan. “The participants agreed to continue efforts towards further facilitating the Afghan-ledpeace and reconciliation process according to the known principles of reintegration of the armed opposition into peaceful life.”
Russia and China confirmed their flexible approach to delisting Afghan individuals from the UN sanctions lists as their contribution to efforts aimed at launching peaceful dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban, the statement added.
The statement is indicative of Sino-Russo plans to play a more proactive role in an Afghan peace process that has been stymied over the years by tensions between Kabul and Islamabad.
Kabul blames Islamabad for shielding the Afghan Taliban leadership and the Haqqani network. It has repeatedly asked Islamabad to exercise force against the Taliban for their refused to enter into the dialogue.
The trilateral meeting in Moscow is seen as a major diplomatic success for Pakistan and signals increased cooperation between Pakistan and Russia. The three nations have now convergence of opinion on how to deal with the conflict in Afghanistan. (Pajhwok)