The Taliban government has announced that it will not participate in a regional meeting on Afghanistan scheduled to be held in Tehran.
According to a statement by Zia Ahmad Takal, Deputy Spokesperson of the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government has received an official invitation to attend the meeting but has decided not to take part.
He stated that the decision was based on the view that Afghanistan currently maintains active relations with regional countries through existing regional institutions and cooperation frameworks, and has achieved notable progress in this regard.
The regional meeting on Afghanistan is set to take place in Tehran next week. One of the key agenda items of the meeting is reducing tensions between the Taliban government and Pakistan. Special envoys from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia are expected to attend.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said that the Islamic Republic of Iran places fundamental importance on peace and stability in its neighboring region and will spare no effort to promote coordination and de-escalation among regional countries.
Referring to the recent tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan, he expressed hope that the meeting would play an effective role in strengthening cooperation and reducing tensions.
The meeting comes at a time when relations between the Taliban and Pakistan are facing a serious crisis. Iran has repeatedly called for mediation and de-escalation following clashes between the two sides, but so far, Tehran’s efforts have not received a serious response from either party.
Notably, ahead of the meeting, Iran brought together opponents of the Taliban under a joint declaration titled “Coordination of Afghan Political Parties and Factions.”
Afghan political groups, encouraged by Iran, issued a joint statement calling for political dialogue as a solution to Afghanistan’s ongoing crisis.
