MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2018) Russia is hoping that representatives of the Kabul government will attend the consultations on Afghanistan in Moscow on September 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
"As we have repeatedly emphasized, the main goal of the Moscow format, in which all the neighbors of Afghanistan and other involved countries participate, is to create favorable conditions and to facilitate the quick launch of the national reconciliation process in order to end the fratricidal war and to establish a peaceful and independent Afghan state free of terrorism and drug threat," the ministry said in a statement.
"The invitation of Taliban representatives to the Moscow meeting is aimed at bringing the collective call to peace in Afghanistan directly to the armed Afghan opposition ... We are counting on the participation of representatives of Kabul in the meeting of the Moscow format, which will be held on September 4," the statement said.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry earlier announced that it would participate in the "Moscow-format" consultations on Afghanistan only if the Taliban agreed to direct talks with representatives of the Afghan government on the sidelines of this event.
