Russia backs plans for interim setup in Afghanistan

Russia is in favor of the formation of an interim government in Afghanistan that includes the Taliban members.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters: “The formation of an interim inclusive administration would be a logical solution to the problem of integrating the Taliban into the peaceful political life of Afghanistan.”

Zakharova stated that the decision should be made “by the Afghans themselves and should be resolved during negotiations on national reconciliation.”

This comes as Russia has planned to hold a conference on the Afghan peace process in Moscow on March 18.

Russian Special for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said last week that Russia had invited the United States, China, Pakistan, representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban group (outlawed in Russia), as well as Afghan political figures, to Moscow for consultations on a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan.

Addressing a joint press conference with Russia’s and Turkey’s Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani that Doha had received an invitation from Russia to take part in a meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow.

Meanwhile, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov regarding the conference stated: “We are genuinely interested in bringing an end to the Afghan tragedy as soon as possible.”

“We are not competing with Qatar or any other country in this regard. We have not adopted a stance that could become a bone of contention. As you are aware, before the Doha process, there was the Istanbul process and the Moscow format, and no one ever thought of reproaching our Qatari friends for stealing the show,” Lavrov said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also stated that Turkey is ready to host an Afghan peace conference in Istanbul in April. 

“We will do this (meeting) in coordination with brotherly Qatar,” said Cavusoglu quoted by the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu.

Cavusoglu stated: “We were one of the few countries invited to this signing ceremony, and we are one of the most important actors in Afghanistan.” 

The Turkish Foreign Minister also stated that Turkey would also appoint a special envoy for Afghanistan to contribute to the process.

The US last week proposed the new peace plan for Afghanistan suggesting the establishment of a transitional government and a high-level summit in Turkey.

The new proposal was delivered by US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the High Council for National Reconciliation Chairman Abdullah Abdullah, and other politicians and former government leaders. Later in the week Khalilzad met with Taliban representatives and put the plan to them.

No decisions have yet been made by either side on the proposal nor have there been any new developments in the past 10 days on the peace talks process in Doha.