Iran Hosts Regional Talks on Afghanistan, But Kabul Skips Out

According to the statement published after the meeting on Sunday, in addition to Russia, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan also participated in the talks organized by Iran.

Afghanistan was invited but decided not to participate. The Taliban-led government was tight-lipped about its reasons; The foreign ministry said Afghanistan would not participate because it “currently maintains its active engagement with regional countries through existing regional organizations and formats and is making good progress in this regard.”

In the statement obtained from the meetings held in Iran, the importance of maintaining economic and commercial ties with Afghanistan to improve living conditions was emphasized and called for the country’s integration into regional political and economic processes.

The Taliban were isolated after regaining power in Afghanistan in August 2021, but they have developed diplomatic ties over the past year. They now collect several billion dollars in tax revenue each year to keep the lights on.

However, Afghanistan is still experiencing economic difficulties. Millions of people rely on aid to survive, and the struggling economy has been further hit by the international community’s failure to recognize the Taliban government’s seizure of power following the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops in 2021. The influx of Afghans fleeing Pakistan under natural disasters and pressure to return home has underlined Afghanistan’s dependence on foreign aid to meet basic needs.

Countries participating in the talks also expressed security concerns and pledged cooperation in combating terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking, while also opposing any foreign military presence in Afghanistan. They underlined the responsibility of the international community in lifting sanctions and releasing Afghanistan’s frozen assets and called on international organizations to support the dignified return of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries.

Participants supported efforts to de-escalate particularly tense tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have left dozens of civilians, soldiers and suspected militants dead and hundreds injured in border clashes between the two sides.

The violence followed October 9 explosions in Kabul that Afghan officials blamed on Pakistan. The Qatar-brokered ceasefire has largely continued since October, but there have been limited border clashes. The two sides failed to reach a general agreement in November despite three rounds of peace talks.

Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special envoy to Afghanistan, said the Taliban government’s decision to skip the meeting reflected a “lack of political maturity”. Durrani, writing about

Pakistan’s current special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammed Sadiq, who participated in the talks, wrote in X that the Afghan people have already suffered enough and deserve better.

Only a militant-free Afghanistan would inspire confidence among neighboring and regional countries to build a meaningful relationship with Kabul and help unlock the country’s economic and connectivity potential, the official wrote.

Participants agreed to hold the next meeting of foreign ministers of countries neighboring Afghanistan in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, as soon as possible and welcomed Pakistan’s offer to host the next round of special envoys talks in Islamabad in March.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Sunday that the meeting had not been held for nearly two years and was the first such meeting attended by special envoys to Afghanistan from neighboring countries as well as Russia. Russia and Uzbekistan sent special envoys of their presidents, while Pakistan was represented by a delegate from the prime minister’s office.

Surrounded by sea, Afghanistan is sandwiched between the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, making it strategically located for energy-rich and energy-hungry countries.