Moscow, Nov 2, IRNA — Russia has an interest in Iran joining theRussia-China-US format for Afghanistan talks, Russian Foreign MinisterSergei Lavrov said on Friday.
“We have a dialogue with them [the United States] on Afghanistan. There isa Russia-China-US format that Pakistan has joined. There is interest inconnecting Iran to this format. It can be promising,” Lavrov said onFriday, Sputnik reported.
A confrontation between Afghan government forces and the militants of theradical Taliban movement, which had previously captured significantterritory in rural areas of the country and launched an attack on largecities, continues. Daesh has also increased its influence in Afghanistan.Afghan national defense and security forces are conducting jointcounter-terrorism operations across the country.
The issue of launching a direct peaceful dialogue between the opposingforces in Afghanistan is being discussed at various venues, including inMoscow, where in November last year, a private meeting on Afghanistan washeld with the participation of representatives of regional states. For thefirst time, a Taliban delegation took part in the meeting. The SupremePeace Council, which positions itself as a mediator between the governmentand the Taliban, also attended the meeting.
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In recent months, the US has been negotiating with the Taliban for asettlement in Afghanistan. In early September, US Special Representativefor Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said that the preliminary version of theagreement provided for the initial withdrawal of 5,000 of about 14,000 UStroops stationed in Afghanistan over the next 135 days. However, thesigning of the agreement failed due to the position of US administration.
