India-Russia-Iran plan trilateral meet on Afghanistan on sidelines of Moscow format meet

The fourth meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan will take place on November 16 in Moscow with India expected to play a major role in negotiations to establish stability in Afghanistan.

Interestingly, India-Russia-Iran will hold a trilateral meet focusing on Afghanistan on sidelines of the Moscow format meet with the three having similar concerns over Taliban ruled Afghanistan.

The key objective of the Moscow format of consultations is to facilitate the national reconciliation process in Afghanistan to establish peace. But Taliban delegation is not part of this round of consultations interestingly.

Sources claimed that the Russian government is neither satisfied with Taliban’s current position nor it is satisfied with Pakistan role.

Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressing a joint press meet after the meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Moscow said, “We are working with the Taliban on our line. The Indian friends are also taking the necessary steps in this direction”.

“We have not yet achieved the desired result and have not seen that the colleagues who personify the power in Kabul are moving fast enough in those areas that have been announced as their obligations to their people. I mean the need to consolidate the ethno-political unity of the Afghan people and ensure the inclusive nature of power,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov, however, said that Moscow maintains “regular contact” with representatives of the Taliban, who will be privy to what the participants in the Moscow format meeting will be doing.