The meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, plus Russia, is scheduled to start Wednesday in Tehran without the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), which has not been invited.
A spokesman for Iran’s foreign minister has said that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will give an opening address and that foreign ministers of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Pakistan will attend the meeting in person, and the foreign ministers of China and Russia will attend the meeting virtually.
On Monday an IEA official said they had asked Iran for details on the meeting but had so far not received anything.
According to IRNA news agency, the UN Secretary General António Guterres will also issue a message to this meeting.
Foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a press conference on Tuesday: “The meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries will be held tomorrow with the participation of six neighboring countries, plus Russia.”
He also said that the ambassadors of the participating countries will be present.
Khatibzadeh said a statement would be made once consensus among neighboring countries has been reached.
“Tomorrow, the focus will be on fulfilling the will of the Afghan people and the future of this country,” Khatibzadeh added.
Bahadar Aminian, Iranian ambassador in Kabul said Monday that economic and security problems and establishing an inclusive government will be discussed at the Tehran meeting.
“Countries in the region in Tehran meeting will emphasize responsibility about security, economic stability and an inclusive government,” said Aminian.
The Iranian envoy added that participants will also discuss sending humanitarian aid for Afghans and talk about development projects in Afghanistan.
Fazal Mohammad Saber, Chargé d’affaires at the Afghan Embassy in Ashgabat, and Faryal Leghari, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkmenistan, met on Saturday to discuss strengthening bilateral trade relations, addressing issues faced by Afghan refugees, and facilitating the visa issuance process for Afghans in Pakistan.
The Afghan Embassy in Ashgabat said in a post on X that both sides emphasized the need to expand relations between the two countries to address ongoing issues.
During the meeting, Leghari described the “good” relations between Kabul and Islamabad as important and pledged to convey the contents of the meeting to officials in her country.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate’s Ambassador in Islamabad and the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan also discussed bilateral relations between Kabul and Tehran, regional developments, Afghan refugees, and related topics.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, and Mohammad Reza Bahrami, Director General for South Asia at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held an online meeting to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan.
In a post on X, Sadiq said that the meeting was constructive, and both sides expressed their concerns about terrorism as a shared challenge and reviewed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and regional engagement with Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan has decided to accept an ambassador from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to Astana in the near future and to upgrade its diplomatic mission in Kabul to ambassadorial level, an Afghan official said on Saturday.
The decision was conveyed by Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister to his Afghan counterpart and is being viewed as a significant signal of renewed political engagement between the two countries, Zia Ahmad, Director of Public Communication of Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, said.
Russia is the only country that has formally recognised the IEA government that seized power in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.
China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Pakistan have all designated ambassadors to Kabul, in a step towards recognition.
Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has expressed openness to allowing an Islamic Emirate-appointed Afghan representative to operate in Berlin, even without formally recognizing the government.
Dorbindt has told Welt TV that he is prepared “to find the appropriate agreement with those responsible in Afghanistan to enable” repatriation of convicted criminals of Afghan nationality.
“If the Taliban (IEA) send Afghan representatives here who may then serve in Berlin, then that can work even without diplomatic recognition. And I would have no problem if we had a contact person here on site for problems we want to solve,” he said.
In August, Germany resumed flying convicted criminals of Afghan nationality to their home country, after pausing deportations following the IEA’s takeover in August 2021, with the support of what Berlin said were “key regional partners”.
The United Nations, however, has criticised the German interior minister’s plan to deport criminals to Afghanistan, citing human rights issues.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has also stated that there would be no relations with the IEA beyond the current contacts.
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