Conflicts & War

Regional powers urge Taliban to form inclusive government, curb terrorism

Moscow, Apr 13 (EFE).- Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan urged Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban government on Thursday to form an inclusive government and take “visible and verifiable measures” against terrorism emanating from there.

The foreign ministers of the four countries met for the second quadrilateral meeting in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on the sidelines of the 4th Ministers’ Meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors.

The ministerial meeting of the Afghan neighbors would also include top diplomats from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan will also attend that gathering.

The regional quad leaders asked the Taliban government to deal with Islamic State militants and urged it to take “visible and verifiable measures to fight terrorism, and eliminate all kinds of terrorist groups to prevent the use of Afghan soil by any terrorist group.”

The ministers expressed deep concern about the security situation in Afghanistan, and noted that all militant groups based there posed “a serious threat to regional and global security.”

They “stressed that the Afghan authorities must take effective measures to protect the safety, security, and legitimate rights of foreign entities and citizens.”

They also demanded that anyone responsible for any attack and threat of attack on foreign entities and citizens be held accountable.

The ministers asked the Taliban to form an inclusive government of all ethnic groups and political institutions and end all restrictions against women and ethnic minorities.

They noted that the international community was interested in a “stable and peaceful Afghanistan, which must be a place of international cooperation and not an arena of geopolitical competition.”

“The United States and its allies (must) take responsibility for the current difficult situation in Afghanistan, immediately remove unilateral sanctions against Afghanistan, and return its assets abroad for the benefit of the Afghan people.”

They also opposed the re-establishment of military bases by the US and its allies in and around Afghanistan, which threaten regional peace and stability. EFE

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