Russia expects to ease Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions at Moscow Format meeting

The latest escalation between Afghanistan and Pakistan will be urgently discussed at the upcoming meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, scheduled for October 5, Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special presidential representative for Afghanistan, told Izvestia.

Kabulov said Russia is prepared to use the Moscow Format as a platform to help the two sides reach a compromise.

“Of course, this issue will certainly be raised, and we will be happy to use the Moscow platform to bring both conflicting parties to some reasonable compromises,” he said.

He added that Russia is ready to mediate between Kabul and Islamabad if both sides request its assistance, noting that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has previously expressed Moscow’s readiness to help resolve the dispute.

High-ranking officials from both countries are expected to attend the October 5 meeting. Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will participate, while Pakistan will send its special representative for Afghanistan, along with its ambassador to Kabul and other senior foreign-policy officials, Kabulov said.

The Moscow Format, established in 2016, brings together regional countries to discuss Afghanistan’s security and political situation. Its participating countries include Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Belarus and Egypt have also been invited as guests to the upcoming meeting.

The latest tensions come amid continued disagreements between Kabul and Islamabad over security and cross-Durand Line militancy. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan authorities of allowing Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad blames for attacks inside Pakistan, to operate from Afghan territory.

The Afghan authorities have denied supporting the TTP and have maintained that Pakistan’s internal security problems should not be blamed on Afghanistan.

Kabulov said the dispute remains difficult to resolve because both sides continue to maintain their positions.

The Moscow Format meeting comes after Pakistan carried out fresh airstrikes in Afghanistan on October 1. Afghan authorities said the strikes in Kunar and Helmand provinces killed nine civilians, including women and children, and wounded 11 others.

Afghanistan condemned the strikes as an act of aggression.