Moscow will host a trilateral meeting on the Afghan peace within the next two days between Russia, China and the United States, the Russian Embassy in Kabul said in a statement on Tuesday.
The meeting will be held at special representatives’ level in Moscow on April 25, the statement said.
The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, who has started his sixth multi-nation trip on Afghan peace, will also attend the meeting, the statement said.
The statement added that Zamir Kaboluv will represent Russia in the meeting.
Peace talks between the US and Taliban in Doha and the perspective of a national reconciliation process will be discussed in the meeting, the embassy said.
In the last round of the US and Taliban talks in Doha in mid-March, the two sides agreed in draft on foreign forces withdrawal from Afghanistan and counterterrorism assurances.
Russia has said it is in favor of coordinating efforts for Afghan peace by Washington and Moscow so that the “interests of regional states and Afghanistan’s neighbors” are portrayed in peace-related meetings.
This comes as US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad embarked on a new multi-nation trip on Afghan peace in which he will visit Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia and the UK from April 21 to May 11, the US Department of State said in a statement on Monday.
This would be the US Special Envoy’s sixth visit to Kabul on Afghan peace since last November.
Last time, Khalilzad visited Kabul late in March. According to the US Embassy in Kabul, Khalilzad had “productive” talks with President Ghani on accelerating a settlement process, reducing violence across Afghanistan, and supporting Afghan security forces if violence continues.
The US Department of State said in a statement that the trip is part of the overall effort to facilitate a political settlement that ends the conflict in Afghanistan.
“In Kabul, Ambassador Khalilzad will consult with the Afghan government and other Afghans to encourage all parties to work towards intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations to determine a final peace settlement,” the statement said.
The statement added that “in London, Moscow, Islamabad, and New Delhi, he will work to build international support for the Afghan peace process to help ensure that any peace settlement reached will be sustainable”.
“In Doha, he (Khalilzad) will continue to press forward on negotiations with the Taliban to reach a consensus on core national security issues, and urge their participation in an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue,” the statement concluded.
