Samarkand, Uzbekistan – On Thursday, foreign ministers from Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries will convene in the historic city of Samarkand to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan. The summit will be attended by foreign ministers from Uzbekistan, Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Russia.
According to Russian media, representatives of these countries will discuss the fight against narcotics production and the activities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
The government of Uzbekistan has officially requested a travel waiver from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to allow the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Mutaqqi, to attend the meeting. According to sources, the deadline for the no-objection was set at 6 pm on Tuesday, April 11th. However, none of the countries, including Tajikistan, objected to the waiver request, enabling Mutaqqi to participate in the summit.
Sources add that the National Resistance Front (NRF), an anti-Taliban military front, requested Tajik officials to object to the waiver, but Tajikistan reportedly denied the request.
During the summit, the foreign ministers will address the current political and security situation in Afghanistan and ways to promote regional cooperation and reaffirm their support for Afghanistan’s stability and security.
It is important to note that last month, the Taliban-led government’s foreign office claimed that a delegation had travelled to an Afghan consulate in Khorugh, the capital of Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan region. However, no Tajik official sources have confirmed any such visit on March 25th.
Source: Afghan Herald
