There's a possibility of convening a new international meeting of special representatives on Afghanistan in the near future, under the guidance of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Zamir Kabulov, the Russian President's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Director of the Foreign Ministry's Second Asia Department, made this statement to TASS.
"We have a comprehensive set of plans regarding Afghanistan at the broad international level. My regional colleagues and I are mindful that UN Secretary-General Guterres intended to convene special representatives, similar to what occurred previously, the gathering in Doha last spring following a report presented by his special coordinator," Kabulov mentioned in response to a query about Russia's upcoming meetings concerning Afghanistan.
"From what I understand, there seems to have been a presentation of such a report; it has been circulated. We now need to examine it closely because he [Guterres] indicated that after all concerned parties have reviewed the report, he would like to convene another meeting to discuss its contents. Hence, we're not in a rush; we'll initially review the report—already in progress in principle—then we'll likely receive a proposal from New York," added the diplomat.
Kabulov mentioned that organizing such a meeting would serve as an opportunity to engage with partners and those who share similar viewpoints on the sidelines.
"Regarding that, we bear in mind that if such a comprehensive meeting occurs, it provides a valuable opportunity for us to engage with partners and allies on the sidelines, not solely within the Quartet framework but more expansively, primarily," he stated.
The Afghanistan conference in Doha, initiated by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on May 1-2, 2023, saw the participation of special representatives from numerous countries and entities. Among them were Russia, Great Britain, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, China, France, Norway, the UAE, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Japan, alongside the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS