- Title: Taliban participates in Afghanistan peace talks in Moscow
- Date: 9th November 2018
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (NOVEMBER 9, 2018) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** REPRESENTATIVES OF VARIOUS COUNTRIES, INCLUDING RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV, GATHERING FOR GROUP PHOTOGRAPH MEDIA LAVROV NEXT TO AFGHANISTAN REPRESENTATIVES DELEGATES LEAVING FLAGS VARIOUS OF ROUNDTABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SERGEI LAVROV, SAYING: "We welcome delegations present here, from the High Peace Council of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Taliban. Their participation in this event will become an important input in the formation of the right conditions for the beginning of direct negotiations between the government, Taliban and representatives of various social and political circles of the nation." DELEGATES AT ROUNDTABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SERGEI LAVROV, SAYING: "Dear colleagues, all our countries face threats from international terrorism, one of the targets of which is Afghanistan. Terrorist vanguard, represented by IS (Islamic State), not without support of external sponsors, are taking steps to turn Afghanistan into the foothold of their expansion into Central Asia and our wider region as a whole. It is the aim of all our countries and all active structures in the region to help the Afghans to uproot this terrorist threat." DELEGATES AT ROUNDTABLE FLAGS
- Embargoed: 23rd November 2018 08:28
- Keywords: Afghanistan Taliban Afghanistan unrest peace talks peace agreement Moscow Russia Sergei Lavrov Taliban
- Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- City: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00195SAN9J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Multilateral peace talks on Afghanistan opened in Moscow on Friday (November 9) with participation of Taliban and the Afghanistan High Peace Council, but without an official delegation of the Afghan government.
Russia invited twelve countries and the Taliban, fighting to re-impose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster by U.S.-led troops, but the United States and the U.S.-backed Afghan government declined to come to Moscow. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rejected the invitation on the grounds that talks with the Taliban should be led by the Afghan government.
Representatives from Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan arrived for the talks, officials said.
The Moscow talks underline the increasingly active role Russia is playing in Afghanistan, decades after Soviet forces withdrew from the country, with business investment plans, diplomatic and cultural outreach and small military support for the central government. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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