Russia Hosts Afghan Talks, Calls Taliban for Inclusive Government

Russia hosted the Taliban on Wednesday for talks on Afghanistan, calling for an inclusive government.

In his opening remarks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that “forming a really inclusive government fully reflecting the interests of not only all ethnic groups but all political forces of the country” is necessary to achieve a stable peace in Afghanistan.

The Taliban delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi, a senior figure in the new Afghan leadership who led talks with the European Union and the United States last week.

Undoubtedly, the talks, which drew officials from 10 countries including China and Pakistan, are considered one of the Taliban's most significant international meetings since seizing power in mid-August.

Moreover, Lavrov said Russia regrets the US delegation's absence from the talks on Afghanistan.

"We regret our American counterparts did not participate this time," he said.

The minister also recalled that the United States dodged participation in a meeting of the enlarged troika (Russia, the United States, China, and Pakistan) for a second time, hoping that there were no fundamental problems behind this.

He claimed that one of the possible reasons could be the replacement of the US special envoy for Afghanistan. In addition, he expressed hope that the United States remains ready to keep working on the Afghan track and the new special envoy will join the efforts.