The Taliban’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will participate at the Samarkand meeting in Uzbekistan on Afghanistan on Thursday and will meet with regional foreign ministers on the sideline of the conference.
In a tweet on Thursday, the Taliban’s ministry of foreign affairs confirmed Muttaqi’s participation at the meeting which will bring together foreign ministers and representatives from Iran, Pakistan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.It is expected that the meeting will focus on the humanitarian crisis in the country and on security threats to the region that emanate from Afghanistan.
On Friday, the Russian foreign ministry confirmed that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will also attend the Samarkand meeting, which will also include representatives from Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The meeting aims to discuss regional efforts toward an Afghan political settlement and stabilizing the humanitarian and socio-economic situation in the country.
Last week, the Russian foreign ministry emphasized the importance of coordinating counter-terrorism and anti-drug efforts, given the challenging security situation, growing terrorist activity, and drug production in Afghanistan.
