Russia calls 2-day UN-sponsored meeting on Afghanistan a ‘failure’

ISTANBUL

Russia on Tuesday described a two-day UN-sponsored meeting on Afghanistan in the Qatari capital Doha a “failure.”

“The delegation of the Afghan government refused to participate due to the humiliating conditions associated with the fact that it was allowed only to minor events involving fugitive emissaries of the so-called Afghan civil society,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said of the meeting held this Sunday and Monday.

Zakharova further said that no decision was made on the previously announced plans by the UN to establish a post for a special envoy and a “small contact group” for Afghanistan, adding that such issues were included on the agenda without proper elaboration.

“Any initiative, be it the establishment of a new post or format, is doomed to failure without the support of Kabul and regional states,” Zakharova said.

She also said that her country’s delegation held multiple talks on the sidelines of the event, including a quartet meeting between Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan, during which they affirmed solidarity toward “strengthening regional cooperation and the leading role of the countries of the region in global efforts” regarding Afghanistan.

“It was noted that the accession of ‘extra-regionals’ is possible only on the condition that the US and NATO take primary responsibility for the current state of affairs in Afghanistan and the post-conflict reconstruction of this country, return blocked assets to Kabul and lift restrictions on banking transactions,” she concluded.