Afghan Presidential Candidate Says Arrived In Moscow To Mark 100 Years Of Diplomatic Ties

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2019) A candidate for 2019 Afghan presidential election, Mohammed Haneef Atmar, announced on Monday that he arrived in Moscow together with Afghan high-ranking officials to attend an event marking the centennial of the two countries' diplomatic relations and to join an intra-Afghan meeting with Taliban representatives.

"Arrived in Moscow alongside a distinguished group of Afghan leaders to attend a special event commemorating the centenary of diplomatic relations btwn [between] Afghanistan and Russia. We value the friendship btwn the two countries & hope for expansion of our ties in the years to come," Atmar, who served as Afghan interior minister and national security adviser, wrote on Twitter.

Atmar added that he also planned to join "Afghan delegation members, as well as members of a senior Taliban delegation, for a substantive intra-Afghan meeting."

"Peace remains a top priority for us Afghans. We will not tire from any efforts towards furthering this sacred cause," he concluded.

Earlier in the day, a Taliban spokesman that a 14-member Taliban delegation led by the group's co-founder, Mullah Baradar Akhund, would arrive in Moscow on May 28 to attend a conference marking a century of diplomatic relations with Russia, as well as talks with Afghan officials on the future of the country. The office of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has already confirmed his participation in the talks.