On September 29, Kazan hosted the fifth meeting of the Moscow format on Afghanistan with the participation of special representatives and senior officials from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Representatives of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye also attended the meeting as invited parties. Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi took part in the meeting.

During the meeting, the participants exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan with an emphasis on regional security and that country’s integration into regional economic processes. The prevailing point of view was that it was crucial to immediately and unconditionally unblock the Afghan assets by Washington and its allies, who bear the main responsibility for the post-conflict reconstruction of the Afghan economy, and that any return of US and NATO military structures to the territory of Afghanistan or its neighbouring states under any pretext was unacceptable.

The participants once again called on the Afghan authorities to create a truly inclusive system of government reflecting the interests of all key ethno-political groups in the country and also to step up counter-terrorism and anti-drug efforts.

All the participants gave assurances to continue providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

At the end of the meeting, the participants adopted the Kazan Declaration of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan.