Russia, Iran to attend meeting on Afghanistan chaired by India next week

Delegates from Iran, Russia and Central Asia will participate in a regional security conference on Afghanistan, which will be chaired by India next week, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Pakistan and China who have been invited to the November 10 meeting have not yet responded through official channels. News reports quoted Islamabad officials as saying that its national security adviser Moeed Yusuf would not attend.

The regional conference is being hosted by Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and is the first conference to be hosted by India. The two previous meetings at the level of the National Security Advisor have taken place in Iran in September 2018 and December 2019, said one of the two people mentioned above. The third meeting in India could not be held earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meeting assumes significance that the Pakistan-backed Taliban has been in power in Kabul for nearly three months – taking power on August 15 after President Ashraf Ghani left the country. It also comes at a time when the people of Afghanistan are facing a food shortage and the economy is in shambles and winter is approaching. News reports have already talked about starvation deaths.

The Afghan summit hosted by New Delhi gives India an opportunity to form an opinion on Afghanistan. Since the takeover of the Taliban on 15 August, it is Pakistan that has taken the initiative, given that it is widely seen that it has been Islamabad’s backing and support that has brought the Taliban to power. India has participated in some meetings on Afghanistan organized by Qatar and Russia, but has reportedly been excluded from others due to objections from Pakistan.

Addressing the G20 summit on Afghanistan last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the international community should ensure that Afghanistan receives immediate and unhindered access to humanitarian aid.

“There has been an overwhelming response to India’s invitation. Central Asian countries as well as Russia and Iran have confirmed participation (for the first time all Central Asian countries, not just Afghanistan’s immediate land neighbors, are participating in the format). The encouraging response is an expression of the importance attached to India’s role in regional efforts to promote peace and security in Afghanistan,” said the second person cited above.

The second person cited above said that Pakistan’s decision not to participate in the event in New Delhi was “unfortunate, but not surprising.”

“It shows his mentality to see Afghanistan as his protector. Pakistan has not attended the previous meetings of this format. His media comments against India are a failed attempt to divert attention from his deadly role in Afghanistan.”

“The high-level participation in the meeting hosted by India next week reflects the widespread and growing concern of regional countries about the situation in Afghanistan and their willingness to consult and coordinate with each other. India has an important role to play in this process,” the first person said.

At last month’s Afghanistan-focused meeting of the G20, the Prime Minister endorsed the key role of the United Nations in Afghanistan and sought renewed support from the G20 for UN Security Council Resolution 2593. The resolution, adopted during India’s rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in August, demands that the soil of Afghanistan should not be used to threaten or attack any country or to harbor or train terrorists.

Modi called on the international community to prepare “a unified international response, without which it would be difficult to bring about the desired change in the situation in Afghanistan.”

India has been calling for an “inclusive” administration in Afghanistan that allows representation of women and minorities and restricts the spread of radical ideology in order to preserve the socio-economic gains of the past two decades.