Pakistan to host US, China, Russia for meeting on Afghanistan today.
Pakistan will host senior diplomats from the United States, China and Russia in Islamabad to discuss the situation in Afghanistan on Thursday. The meeting will take place a day after India chaired the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue, which has seen participation of national security chiefs from seven countries- Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Both the meetings will focus on Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and its National Security Advisor Moeed Yousuf will chair the ‘Troika Plus’ meeting.
According to Dawn’s report, representatives of the four countries will also meet the acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaki.
Muttaki reached Islamabad on Wednesday. This is the first visit by an Afghan minister to Pakistan since the Taliban captured Kabul in August. “At the SR (Special Representative level) Troika Plus will hold a meeting with Muttaki,” the Pakistani official said.
The talks are taking place at a time when the Taliban is seeking international recognition. However, the international community is in no hurry to legitimize the Taliban’s interim government until they fulfill their promises.
The official said, “Troika Plus has become an important platform for engagement with the Afghan authorities. It will express support for an inclusive government, ways to prevent the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, as well as for human rights, especially for women. Will discuss the protection of rights.”
This is Troika Plus’s first plenary meeting since the Taliban took over Afghanistan. The last of the draft was held in Doha in August, with the US being represented by former Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
Another meeting was called by Russia on 19 October in Moscow, but the US did not attend, citing “logistics”.
(with ANI inputs)
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