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Mohammad Sadiq, Special Representative of Pakistan for Afghanistan. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Iran will hold a two-day conference in its capital on December 15-16 on Afghanistan. The meeting is expected to bring together special representatives from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China and Russia.
Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kabul Ubaid Ur Rehman Nizamani and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Tehran Mudassir Tipu will attend.
Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, Special Envoy of China for Afghan Affairs Yu Xiaoyong and representatives of the Presidents of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan will also participate.
Sources said Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi would address the meeting. A joint press release will be published at the end of the conference.
The Taliban Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that it would not attend a regional meeting on Afghanistan, according to a report by an Afghan media outlet. Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesperson for the ministry, said the Taliban had received an invitation but decided not to attend.
According to Takal, the decision was based on the Taliban’s view that Afghanistan already maintains active relations with countries in the region through existing regional organizations and cooperation frameworks, and has made what he described as significant progress in this regard.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters on Thursday that the Islamic Republic of Iran attaches fundamental importance to security and stability in its neighborhood.
