Because of disagreements between Pakistani and Afghan delegations, according to a media report on Tuesday, islamabad, The eighth edition of the Moscow Format regional consultations on Afghanistan has ended without a joint statement, mainly.
Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said Moscow regretted that the participants could not agree on the final document, the Dawn newspaper reported. The failure to agree on a joint statement underscored how the worsening Pakistan-Afghanistan dispute is now complicating wider regional efforts to build consensus on Afghanistan. Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, meanwhile, criticised Pakistan’s statements and actions towards Afghanistan, accusing Islamabad of using military pressure, refugees, students and transit routes as instruments of leverage.
“When drafting the final joint statement, we encountered one problem, that problem was that our Afghan and Pakistani colleagues didn’t see eye to eye,” he said. Kabulov said the Afghan side objected to references that placed Afghanistan in a terrorist context. “Pakistan desires peace and stability in the region and has remained patiently engaged in political and diplomatic efforts aimed at addressing the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil,” he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who opened the meeting, endorsed the performance of the Taliban authorities while warning against any attempt by NATO to establish military infrastructure in Afghanistan or neighbouring countries.
