India, Pakistan and 8 Others To Attend Talks With Taliban Hosted in Moscow

The United States has also been invited to the talks, but it is reportedly not attending due to logistical concerns.

Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. Photo used for representational purposes only. 

(Photo: PTI)

In Moscow, Russia, 10 countries, including India, Pakistan, and China, will join in talks with the Taliban on Wednesday, 20 October, to arrive at agreements on how to diplomatically approach the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, Reuters reported.

A top Russian official said that while there would be "a candid conversation behind closed doors", there were no expectations of anything extraordinary happening, according to the Washington Post.

Moscow has clearly stated that it is not prepared to officially recognise the Taliban government until the latter sticks to its promise of establishing a politically and ethnically inclusive administration.

As stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the Moscow talks will seek to "discuss prospects for development of the military-political situation in Afghanistan and the formation of an inclusive government", Washington Post added.

India will also be participating in the talks, however its participation did not imply that it had agreed to recognise the Taliban government.

JP Singh, who leads the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk in the Ministry of External Affairs in the Government of India, will also lead the Indian delegation on Wednesday in Moscow, Hindustan Times reported.

(With inputs from Reuters, Washington Post, and Hindustan Times.)