Pakistan-Afghanistan Talks Fail To Reach Agreement, Moscow Meeting Ends Without Joint Statement

Moscow: The 8th Moscow Format regional talks held in Moscow regarding Afghanistan ended without any joint statement. According to Russia, no consensus could be reached between the Pakistan and Afghan delegations regarding the final document. Zamir Kabulov, the Russian President's special envoy for Afghanistan, expressed regret over the impasse.

What happened in the Moscow format meeting?

The meeting held in Moscow on October 5 was attended by representatives of China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Russia and Central Asian countries along with Afghanistan. Afghanistan's security, terrorism, regional stability and relations with neighbouring countries were discussed in the meeting. 

The objective of the meeting was to develop dialogue and common understanding on issues related to Afghanistan among the regional countries, but due to differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a final joint document could not be agreed upon.

On which issue was the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan?

The biggest controversy in the meeting was regarding terrorism and alleged terrorist activities taking place from the soil of Afghanistan. Pakistan's Special Representative Mohammad Sadiq said that terrorism is at the heart of Afghanistan's problems and Pakistan will continue to take appropriate steps for its security. 

Pakistan has long been expressing concern about the bases associated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) present in Afghanistan. The Taliban does not accept these allegations and there is constant tension between the two countries regarding cross-border terrorism.

How did Taliban respond to Pakistan's allegations?

Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki opposed Pakistan's stance. He accused Pakistan of exerting military pressure and using issues like refugees, students and transit routes as instruments of pressure. However, Muttaqi also said that problems between the two countries can be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. 

Why couldn't a joint statement be made?

According to Russia's special envoy Zamir Kabulov, differences of opinion emerged between the Afghan and Pakistani delegations while drafting the final joint statement. According to reports, the Taliban delegation took exception to the language referring to Afghanistan in the context of terrorism. 

The result was that at the end of the meeting all the participating countries could not agree on the final document and this round of the Moscow Format ended without a joint statement.

What did Russia say to reduce tension?

Moscow has offered help in reducing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, Kabulov also clarified that resolution of bilateral disputes between the two countries is not the main objective of the Moscow Format. 

The ending of this meeting without a joint statement shows the growing differences between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The big challenge for the regional countries now is how to take forward the dialogue between the two neighbours on the issue of security and terrorism.