WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th March, 2021) The United States has nothing to announce at this time on its possible participation in the Moscow conference on Afghanistan next week, State Department spokesperson Ned price told reporters on Thursday.
"We have met in the past with Russia in support of Afghanistan's peace process, but we do not have anything to announce at this time when it comes to any meetings," Price said during the press briefing.
On Tuesday, Russia's special presidential representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov told Sputnik that delegations of the United States, China, Pakistan, the Afghan government and the Taliban movement will take part in the conference, scheduled for March 18.
Price has highlighted an important role of Russia and other countries in the region in securing and stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan. He also said US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is currently visiting the region, trying to achieve progress towards a political settlement and comprehensive ceasefire.
"Any proposal that the United States would endorse... has one requirement: that would be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned at its core. We believe that this is an essential component to a just endurable peace," Price said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier on Thursday that the upcoming conference in Moscow aims to boost the peace process and is not an alternative to the intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha.
