Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
afghanistanIran’s neighbors met in Iran and agreed to deepen regional coordination to deal with political, economic and security challenges, as well as called for lifting sanctions on Afghanistan. The only absent party? Afghanistan only.
China, Pakistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan All participants, including Turkmenistan and Russia, attended the talks hosted by Iran, according to a statement released after the meeting on Sunday.
Afghanistan was invited but chose not to attend. Its Taliban-led government remained silent on the reasons, with the Foreign Ministry saying only that it would not participate because Afghanistan “currently maintains active engagement with regional countries through existing regional organizations and formats, and has made good progress in this regard.”
The statement on the talks in Iran stressed the importance of maintaining economic and trade ties with Afghanistan to improve living conditions and called for the country’s integration into regional political and economic processes.
Taliban He was isolated in Afghanistan after retaking power in August 2021, but has developed diplomatic ties in the last year. Now they raise billions of dollars each year in tax revenues to keep the lights on.
However, Afghanistan is still struggling economically. Millions of people depend on aid to survive, and the Taliban government’s seizure of power, which is not recognized by the international community in the wake of a chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops in 2021, has further hit the struggling economy. The flow of Afghans fleeing Pakistan due to natural disasters and pressure to return home has underlined Afghanistan’s dependence on foreign aid to meet essential needs.
The countries also expressed security concerns at the talks and promised cooperation in combating terrorism, drug trafficking and human trafficking while opposing any foreign military presence in Afghanistan. He underlined the responsibility of the international community to lift sanctions and free Afghanistan’s frozen assets, and urged international organizations to support the dignified return of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries.
Participants supported efforts to de-escalate tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have been particularly tense since border clashes between the two sides have left dozens of civilians, soldiers and suspected militants dead and hundreds of others injured.
Violence followed the blasts Kabul On October 9, Afghan officials accused Pakistan. A largely ceasefire brokered by Qatar has been in place since October, although border clashes have been limited. Despite three rounds of peace talks in November, the two sides failed to reach a comprehensive agreement.
Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special representative for Afghanistan, said the Taliban government’s decision not to attend the meeting reflected a “lack of political maturity”. Writing on
Current Pakistani Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq, who participated in the talks, wrote on Twitter that the Afghan people have already suffered enough and deserve better.
Only an Afghanistan that does not harbor terrorists will create confidence among neighboring and regional countries to meaningfully engage with Kabul and help unlock the country’s economic and connectivity potential, he wrote.
The participants agreed to hold the next meeting of foreign ministers of countries neighboring Afghanistan in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan at the earliest and welcomed Pakistan’s offer to host the next round of Special Envoys’ talks in Islamabad in March.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai said on Sunday that the meeting had not been held for almost two years and was the first such gathering attended by special envoys from neighboring countries on Afghanistan as well as Russia. Russia and Uzbekistan sent special envoys of their presidents, while Pakistan was represented by a representative from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Landlocked Afghanistan is sandwiched between the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, making it strategically located for energy-rich and energy-hungry countries.
,
Associated Press journalists Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Elena Bekatoros in Athens and Abdul Qahar Afghan in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed to this report.