KABUL (SW) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will head the Russian delegation at the fourth foreign minister’s meeting of the neighboring countries of Afghanistan, due in Samarkand on April 13, the Russian Foreign Ministry has reported.
“The fourth ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries (with the participation of Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) is scheduled for April 13 in Samarkand (Uzbekistan). The Russian delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov,” the ministry said.
The meeting will discuss further steps by regional partners to facilitate an Afghan political settlement and stabilize the humanitarian and socio-economic situation in the country, the ministry specified.
“Given the complicated security situation and growing terrorist activity and drug production in Afghanistan, the coordination of counter-terrorist and anti-drug efforts of the region’s countries is especially important,” the Foreign Ministry added.
“Special attention will be paid to regional economic integration and implementation of transport and energy projects with the participation of Kabul in accordance with previously reached agreements,” the ministry summed up.
So far, no representative of the Islamic Emirate has been invited to the meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries. Bilal Karimi, one of the deputy spokespersons of the Islamic Emirate, told Salam Watandar that in every meeting related to Afghanistan, it is necessary for a representative of the Islamic Emirate to participate in it. He added: “There is still time and the details have not yet been finalized. Regarding the affairs of our country, we have repeated many times and warned that no faction should be afraid of Afghanistan. The gatherings, meetings and talks that take place are for the benefit of the people of Afghanistan and our country. This is a progress, it is a reality, a faction that is important and responsible and has executive authority, it is important that it has a fundamental role.”
On the other hand, Mustafa Mudassar, a researcher of international relations, said that the countries that are present at this meeting are trying not to be affected by the political and security vacuum in Afghanistan. He added: “The countries that are going to gather on Thursday, Central Asian countries, because of China and Russia, these countries are worried about their security in the Afghanistan region, they fear crisis, insecurity and extremism might spread from Afghanistan to these countries. Due to the fact that they do not recognize the Islamic Emirate, the presence of the Islamic Emirate is not very meaningful. The situation inside Afghanistan is a very fragile situation and there is a political, security and economic vacuum that will spread to these countries.”
However, Juma Khan Puya, a political activist, says that the Islamic Emirate has not been invited to the meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries because it has not fulfilled its commitments to the world. He added: “The Islamic Emirate was not invited to the fifth meeting of the Moscow format, which was held a few months ago, and Russia had made it very clear that not inviting the Islamic Emirate was actually not fulfilling the commitments they had made to the countries of the region and the world. I think this is the reason why the Islamic Emirate was not invited to the Samarkand meeting. These are the concerns that the countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan’s neighboring countries have about Afghanistan.”
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