Meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow format may take place by year-end - diplomat

VLADIVOSTOK, September 12. /TASS/. Russia keeps preparing the meeting on Afghanistan in the Moscow format and expects it to take place by the end of the year, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said on the sidelines of the 4th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) on Wednesday. "We keep preparing this meeting [in the Moscow format], it has been rescheduled, not cancelled," he said. "We maintain contact with the government of Afghanistan to choose new dates for this session." "We hope that this meeting would take place by the end of the year," the Russian diplomat added. Consultations on Afghanistan were planned to be held in Moscow on September 4. According to earlier reports, 12 countries, including the United States, were invited to the Moscow meeting. However, Washington rejected the invitation. Besides, senior officials from the Taliban movement’s (outlawed in Russia) Doha office were also invited. The Afghan Foreign Ministry announced later that Kabul would not take part in the Moscow meeting. On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a telephone conversation with Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani. The parties agreed to postpone the meeting due to the Afghan cabinet reshuffle and determine a new date for the Moscow consultations through diplomatic channels. Read more