Moscow Summit is first Step towards Inclusive Intra-Afghan Talks

The delegates, who will attend the Moscow meeting due to be held on Feb. 5-6, supported the meeting by releasing a joint statement on Sunday, saying it will be the first step towards inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue and can help the US – Taliban talks.

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The delegates, who will attend the Moscow meeting due to be held on Feb. 5-6, supported the meeting by releasing a joint statement on Sunday, saying it will be the first step towards inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue and can help the US – Taliban talks.
“Considering the current status of the country and the recent hopes for peace, this meeting, which is, in fact, the first step towards initiating the process of intra-Afghan dialogues in the peace process, is of particular importance and we warmly welcome it,” the statement underlined.

The full statement:
2/3/2019
“Kabul, Afghanistan – we the delegation that includes figures, representatives of parties and Afghan political movements are pleased to attend the intra-Afghan peace dialogue – due to be held on February 5,6 in Moscow – which is the initiative of the Afghan society residing in the Russian Federation. Considering the current status of the country and the recent hopes for peace, this meeting, which is, in fact, the first step towards initiating the process of intra-Afghan dialogues in the peace process, is of particular importance and we warmly welcome it. The delegation will attend the meeting while having a deep feeling about their historical obligation at a juncture where the people of Afghanistan are desperately waiting for tangible improvements in the peace talks.
The delegation’s main stance will be to defend the achievements and safeguard an Islamic Republic system, national institutions, security and defense institutions. In addition, we hope that the Moscow meeting will be complementary and helpful to the US efforts for Afghan peace and for encouraging a national and regional consensus around this process.

The delegation will accentuate on the following principles and values at the meeting:
• To protect and strengthen the Islamic Republic system
• Afghanistan is the shared home for all Afghans
• Obeying Islamic and national values
• To emphasise on maintaining a powerful and democratic central government
• To strengthen national unity and ensuring social justice
• The principle of impartiality of Afghanistan in regional and world conflicts
• To ensure that policies match the modern world’s measures while protecting religious and national values

Concerning the peace process and the next steps, we will accentuate on the following issues:
• Supporting the US efforts for Afghan peace process led by Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad
• To emphasise on a ceasefire amid the start of intra-Afghan dialogues
• To emphasise on the continuation of intra-Afghan talks aimed at ending the war and bloodshed in the country
• To ensure that Afghanistan is safe from threats and interference by foreign countries
• To assure the International Community that Afghanistan’s territory will not be a threat to other countries
• To ensure women’s rights for education, work, political, economic and social activities
• To emphasise on the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Afghan people
• Insisting and getting the assurance that sustainable peace and stability are ensured in the country
• To encourage the Russian Federation and other countries in the region to create a political consensus at a regional and international level in supporting the Afghan peace process

We consider Moscow meeting as an important opportunity to start Intra-Afghan dialogue and looking forward to positive achievements of the process. In this regard, we call on the leaders of the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to play their constructive role in achieving lasting and inclusive peace in the country with the participation of their qualified representatives.
With regards,”