Extended Troika Meeting With Russia On Afghanistan: As the Taliban’s offensive in Afghanistan continues, Russia has increased its efforts to reach out to all key stakeholders in the country’s war-torn conflict in order to stop the violence and advance the Afghan peace process.
People familiar with the situation told Press Trust of India today that India has not been invited to a crucial meeting being convened by Russia on the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan, which is expected to include Pakistan, China, and the United States.
As the Taliban’s offensive in Afghanistan continues, Russia has increased its efforts to reach out to all key stakeholders in the country’s war-torn country in order to stop the violence and advance the Afghan peace process.
On August 11, an “extended Troika” meeting will be held in Qatar. The format had previously been used for discussions on March 18 and April 30.
Russia has also been holding talks in Afghanistan under the “Moscow Format” to bring peace and create conditions for the process of national reconciliation.
Last month in Tashkent, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russia will continue to cooperate with India and other countries with influence over the Afghan situation.
Following his remarks, India was rumored to be invited to the upcoming “extended Trioka” meeting.
“We will continue to collaborate with the Americans, as well as all other nations with the capacity to influence the situation in Afghanistan, including our Central Asian allies, India, Iran, and the United States, under the enlarged Troika structure,” he told reporters.
Mr. Lavrov explained, “We have a Moscow framework that includes all of the key parties.”
Although Russia and the United States disagree on various aspects of the Afghan conflict, both countries are now pushing for intra-Afghan talks and an end to the Taliban’s widespread violence.
India has yet to make a statement about the extended Troika meeting.
Meanwhile, Afghan Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay hailed the United Nations Security Council’s decision to convene a meeting on August 6 to discuss the situation in Afghanistan as a positive development.
The UN Security Council will meet on Friday under the Indian presidency to discuss and assess the situation in Afghanistan, according to India’s ambassador to the UN, TS Tirumurti.
“A positive development is the convening of an emergency UN Security Council session on Afghanistan. The United Nations and the international community must do more to stop the tragedy in Afghanistan that is unfolding as a result of terrorist violence and atrocities. Thank you, India, for taking the lead as UN Secretary-President General’s “Mr. Mamundzay sent out a tweet.
The UNSC meeting was called two days after Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammed Hanif Atmar spoke with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar about convening an emergency session of the UN Security Council to stop the Taliban’s violence.
For the month of August, India will preside over the United Nations Security Council.
Since the United States began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan on May 1, the Taliban has made rapid advances across the country by resorting to widespread violence. The United States has already withdrawn the majority of its forces and plans to finish the process by August 31.
India has been instrumental in keeping Afghanistan’s peace and stability. It has already invested nearly USD 3 billion in the war-torn country’s aid and reconstruction efforts.
India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, and Afghan-controlled.
It has also urged all members of Afghanistan’s political spectrum to work together to meet the aspirations of all Afghans, including those from minority communities, for a prosperous and secure future.
(This story was not edited by Press-Wire and was published from a syndicated feed, except for the headline.)