Special representatives from Russia, China and America have held behind-the-door talks in Moscow on the Afghan peace process on Thursday (25 April).

Russian Foreign ministry in a released statement has said that “the three sides respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan as well as its right to choose its development path. The three sides prioritize the interests of the Afghan people in promoting a peace process.”

According to the statement, “the three sides support an inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process and are ready to provide the necessary assistance. The three sides encourage the Afghan Taliban to participate in peace talks with a broad, representative Afghan delegation that includes the government as soon as possible. Toward this end, and as agreed in Moscow in February 2019, we support a second round of intra-Afghan dialogue in Doha (Qatar).”

“The three sides support the Afghan government efforts to combat international terrorism and extremist organizations in Afghanistan. They take note of the Afghan Taliban’s commitment to fight ISIS and cut ties with Al-Qaeda, ETIM, and other international terrorist groups; ensure the areas they control will not be used to threaten any other country; and call on them to prevent terrorist recruiting, training, and fundraising, and expel any known terrorists”, the statement further added.

“The three sides recognize the Afghan people’s strong desire for a comprehensive ceasefire. As a first step, we call on all parties to agree on immediate and concrete steps to reduce violence”, the statement went on to say.

“The three sides call for an orderly and responsible withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan as part of the overall peace process”, the statement added.

“The three sides call for regional countries to support this trilateral consensus and are ready to build a more extensive regional and international consensus on Afghanistan. The three sides agreed on a phased expansion of their consultations before the next trilateral meeting in Beijing. The date and composition of the meeting will be agreed upon through diplomatic channels”, the statement further added.

Arezo news website – Humayun Salimi