Russia Ready To Host 'Moscow-Format' Consultations On Afghan Peace Process - Lavrov

Russia is willing to continue hosting the so-called Moscow-format inclusive meetings on the Afghan peace process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th April, 2021) Russia is willing to continue hosting the so-called Moscow-format inclusive meetings on the Afghan peace process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

On March 18, a Moscow-sponsored conference brought together the "extended troika" Russia, China, the United States and Pakistan as well as Afghan political forces and the Taliban.

"We believe that the best possible format to involve external players is the so-called Moscow format. ... Let me remind you that these are not only Afghanistan's immediate neighbors but all of Central Asia's countries, as well as India, Pakistan, China, Iran, the United States and Russia. We are ready to host such consultations, meetings, if deemed necessary by all the countries that I have mentioned," Lavrov, who is currently visiting New Delhi, said at a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The top diplomat added that Russia always advocated for the participation of Afghanistan's neighbors and the powerful countries in the facilitation of the conflict settlement.

"There is now a growing number of factors that need to be defined in order to understand how to proceed with regards to the Afghan settlement in terms of external input," Lavrov noted.

The Russian foreign minister added that he and his Indian counterpart agreed to remain in close contact on the matter.

The discussions on Afghan reconciliation have been hosted by several platforms, including in Doha, where peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban movement began in September 2020. The next round of peace negotiations is set to take place in Turkey sometime this month.