NEW DELHI: The ‘Moscow Format’ talks on Wednesday, which will see the participation of the Taliban and 10 countries including India, will underline the need for an inclusive government in Afghanistan and seek consolidated international efforts to fend off a humanitarian crisis in the country.
While Moscow said a joint outcome document will also be adopted following the talks, both Russia and India expressed reservations about the conduct of the Taliban in recent months that has seen them reneging on promises made to women and minorities. India’s ambassador to Russia D B Venkatesh Varma had said in Moscow a few days ago that “whether the Taliban will stand by their commitments and back words with deeds — we will wait and see,” he told Russian daily ‘Kommersant’.
The Moscow Format talks were preceded by a meeting on Tuesday of the extended troika in which Russia, China and Pakistan, according to Moscow, exchanged views on common security threats and expressed interest in providing Afghanistan with urgent humanitarian and economic assistance. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, however, said recognition for the Taliban government was not under discussion and that Moscow was still prodding the Taliban to fulfil promises they made when they came to power.
India is likely to back a proposal by Russia at the talks for a UN conference to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Before sending any aid though, India wants an enabling environment for the UN to ensure a non-discriminatory distribution of aid to the Afghan people. The US didn’t participate in the troika-plus meeting as it was “logistically difficult” but expressed support for the format.
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