New Delhi: After the Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan, Iran is all set to host the regional meeting on the issue of Afghanistan on October 27, tomorrow (Wednesday), without the participation of the new Taliban regime.
Iran has invited the foreign ministers and political representatives of China, Russia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan to discuss the formation of an inclusive government and other Afghan issues.
According to the press statement issued by the Embassy of Iran in Kabul, the second meeting of the neighbouring countries plus Russia will be held on Wednesday, October 27 in Tehran and will be hosted by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The meeting will take place in continuation and as the second round of the discussions which was virtually hosted by Pakistan on 8th September 2021.
"Iran strongly believes that a stable, secure and developed Afghanistan, with a flourishing and sustainable economy, will ensure the interests of all its neighbours, in particular, the Islamic Republic of Iran," it added.
Significance of the meet
The consultation meeting on Afghanistan to be hosted by Iran is the second biggest regional meeting after the Moscow format dialogue, which saw the participation of India. However, Iran has not invited India for the meeting to be held tomorrow. Also, Russia had invited Iran for the Moscow format dialogue; Iran has not invited the Taliban representatives.
During the 10 nations Moscow format dialogue on Afghanistan, the Taliban representatives met an Indian delegation, led by Joint Secretary JP Singh at the Ministry of External Affairs, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The exclusion of India from the meeting to be hosted by Iran tomorrow indicates that by doing so, Iran is most likely expressing displeasure over India’s recent Quad meet with Israel, the USA and the UAE. However, there is no official confirmation on this yet.
Expert view
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Prof Harsh V Pant, foreign policy expert and Director, Research at ORF said, “It seems that India’s engagement with UAE, US and Israel can be one potential reason for non-inclusion of India from the meeting but will have to wait and watch on that front. Certainly, India would have to figure out a response to this because, for India, Iran’s support is important especially in Afghanistan. Similarly, for Iran also getting India’s support is essential because the Shia-Sunni fought line, through which Iran traditionally views Afghanistan, remains very relevant to the regional consideration."
"Iran will have to get partners like India on board if it wants to have a ‘credible Afghan policy’. However, we will have to wait and watch how this pans out but at the moment, certainly, Iran might be signalling its displeasure to India’s outreach in the Middle East”, Pant added.
Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister DR S Jaishankar visited Israel to hold bilateral talks with the Iranian authority. There he met Israel’s Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. He also called on the Israeli President. The leaders discussed regional and global issues including the issues in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power.
The Tehran meeting tomorrow is expected to bolster international pressure on the Taliban to ensure that terrorism does not emanate from Afghanistan and the soil of Afghanistan is not used to breed any kind of terrorist act.
The meeting will focus on how the neighbouring states can contribute to the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of all ethnic groups, as well as the future of peace and security in Afghanistan.
It is worth noting that India has been part of many multilateral forums on Afghanistan and at the UN Security Council, India has time and again reiterated its stance on Afghanistan and has called upon the international community to forge a unified response to bring about the desired changes in the situation in Afghanistan.
