Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Foreign Minister, in the sixth Moscow Format meeting, called on regional countries to cooperate in preventing their citizens from being recruited by ISIS and sent to Afghanistan.
This meeting was held with the presence of representatives from China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Central Asian countries, hosted by Russia, with a focus on Afghanistan.
At this meeting, Muttaqi expressed concerns about the establishment of ISIS training and equipping centers outside Afghanistan’s borders. He added that over the past three years, attacks carried out in the name of ISIS in Afghanistan have mostly involved perpetrators who were citizens of other countries.
He added: “We take this opportunity to ask all regional countries to cooperate in preventing their citizens from being recruited by ISIS and sent to Afghanistan or other countries for destructive operations.”
The acting Foreign Minister also referred to statements made by some countries’ representatives at the UN Security Council and in the media regarding existing threats in Afghanistan, calling them baseless.
He said: “Do not view Afghanistan through the lens of foreigners.”
Muttaqi also called on neighboring countries to cooperate in preventing processed drugs from being smuggled into Afghanistan, adding that an independent, secure, stable, and developed Afghanistan, free of drugs, would be in the interest of the region and the world.
He further pointed to the opportunities that Afghanistan’s security has provided to the Islamic Emirate and its partners, announcing the initiation of major regional projects, such as the TAPI pipeline project, the Turkmenistan-Pakistan electricity transmission project, and the development of railways and fiber optics in Afghanistan.
He also pointed to the failure of the international system in preventing the killing of the people of Gaza by Israel and raised questions about the effectiveness of the United Nations.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson had said that the peace process, the establishment of an inclusive government, the fight against terrorism and drugs, as well as Afghanistan’s economic and political challenges, would be among the key topics of discussion in this meeting.
