Muttaqi to Attend Eighth Moscow Format Meeting on Afghanistan

DID Press: Afghanistan’s Taliban-run Foreign Ministry has announced that Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will attend the eighth Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan at Russia’s invitation.

Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, head of the Public Relations and Information Department at the Taliban-run Foreign Ministry, told Radio Hurriyat that Muttaqi will represent Afghanistan as an official member of the meeting in Moscow.

Takal said Muttaqi will present Afghanistan’s views on expanding political and economic cooperation with countries in the region. He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with officials from several countries on the sidelines of the meeting.

The eighth Moscow Format consultations are scheduled to take place in Moscow on October 5. Russia has said senior officials and representatives from Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, China, India, Pakistan and Central Asian countries will attend, while Belarus and Egypt have been invited as guests.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the meeting will focus on political and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and countries in the region, as well as counterterrorism efforts and combating drug trafficking. Participants are also expected to issue a joint statement at the conclusion of the meeting.