Moscow: The 7th meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan was held in Moscow at the level of special representatives and senior officials of Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A delegation from Belarus attended the meeting as guests.
According to the statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry, for the first time the Afghan delegation headed by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaqi participated in the meeting as a member. Russian FM
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov was also attended the consultations.
The parties reaffirmed their unwavering support for the establishment of Afghanistan as an independent, united and peaceful state.
The parties noted the need for development of economic and trade exchanges, investment cooperation of Afghanistan with regional countries and the international community. They expressed their interest in developing regional economic projects with Afghan participation and promoting steady progress in such fields as healthcare, poverty alleviation, agriculture and disaster prevention, so as to help Afghanistan realize independent and sustainable development at an early date. They supported the active integration of Afghanistan into the system of regional connectivity.
The parties reiterated their commitment to continue humanitarian support to the Afghan people, and called on the international community to intensify provision of emergency humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, while simultaneously reaffirming opposition to the attempts of politicizing it.
The parties called for strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation at both bilateral and multilateral levels. They emphasized that Afghanistan should be supported to undertake comprehensive measures aimed at the elimination of terrorism and its eradication within a short timeframe so that Afghan soil is not used as a threat to the security of the neighboring countries and beyond. The parties underscored that terrorism constitutes a serious threat to the security of Afghanistan, the region and the wider world.
The parties underlined the significant role of regional frameworks.
The parties urged the countries mainly responsible for the current predicament in Afghanistan to earnestly fulfill commitments on the economic recovery and future development of Afghanistan.
They called unacceptable the attempts by countries to deploy their military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighboring states, since this does not serve the interests of regional peace and stability.
Meanwhile Special Representative of Pakistan on Afghanistan Ambassador (retd) Muhammad Sadiq in a statement issued on X, said that at the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, Pakistan reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to a peaceful, stable, and secure Afghanistan. 'I spoke about the urgent need for collective regional efforts to effectively counter terrorism and dismantle all terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil. I also highlighted the importance of strengthening regional cooperation in political and economic fields, along with enhanced counter-terrorism and anti-drug collaboration. Continued dialogue, cooperation, and coordinated actions remain essential to address these challenges and support lasting peace in the region'.