The foreign ministers of Russia, India, and China held a virtual meeting on Friday in which they discussed the threat of terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, and organized crime, among other issues.
The foreign ministers expressed their concerns about the situation in Afghanistan, especially the “spread” of illicit drugs and the “deteriorating” humanitarian situation, and called for immediate humanitarian assistance, said a joint statement released following the virtual meeting between India’s S Jaishankar, Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and China’s Wang Yi.
“The ministers expressed their determination to counter the spread of illicit drug trafficking in opiates and methamphetamine from Afghanistan and beyond, which poses a serious threat to regional security and stability and provides funding for terrorist organizations,” the statement reads.
The meeting participants also emphasized the need to fight insurgent groups and bring a lasting peace in Afghanistan, and advocated a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan that exists in harmony with its neighbors.
“They reaffirmed their support for basic principle of an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and called for formation of a truly inclusive government that represents all the major ethnic and political groups of the country,” the statement reads.
The foreign ministers of the three countries also called on the Islamic Emirate to act in accordance with the outcomes of all the recently held international and regional meetings on Afghanistan, including the UN Resolution on Afghanistan.
Recently, meetings were held on Afghanistan in Moscow, Tehran, Islamabad, and New Delhi. In many of the meetings, the participants called for fighting terrorism, the formation of an inclusive government, and for international humanitarian support to Afghanistan.
