U.S. Envoy Discusses Afghan Peace With Russia, China, EU Officials

The U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad has “exchanged views” with representatives of Russia, China and the EU on the current status of the Afghan peace process, the U.S. State Department said.

In a statement on Friday, the U.S. State Department said that Khalilzad met with Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s presidential envoy to Afghanistan and Deng Xijun, his Chinese counterpart on March 21-22 and “discussed common efforts to bring peace, prosperity, and security to Afghanistan.”

“They underscored their respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, as well as Afghanistan’s right to make it’s own political, security, and economic decisions,” the statement said.

It said that the United States, China, and Russia agreed to hold further discussions on the issue and that the exact dates and sites for such talks are to be decided.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department in a separate statement said that Khalilzad had held consultations with Roland Kobia, the EU’s special envoy in Washington on the Afghan peace process, on March 21-22, 2019.

Khalilzad and Kobia “agreed that bringing an end to Afghanistan’s war and achieving peace must be the key objective, and that violence should cease,” the statement said.

“Any peace agreement should uphold the rights of all Afghans, in particular, those of women, minorities, and children, and ensure Afghan soil is not used by international terrorist groups or individuals against any country,” the statement noted.

“Both sides underscored their respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan,” the statement added.

According to the statement, the U.S. and EU encourage all countries to support the current peace process, inclusive intra-Afghan talks, and lasting development and reconstruction in Afghanistan.