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Friday's meeting in Moscow will be the first time since 2001 that Indian representatives and the head of the government-funded think tank on the Indian Council for International Affairs will meet at the same table as the Taliban. Photo: AFP
Two former Foreign Ministry officials will represent India at an "informal level" on the eve of a key conference organized by Russia to discuss ways to restore peace in Afghanistan torn apart by the war, at a meeting that will also bring together the Taliban insurgents. , the government said Thursday.
Friday's Moscow meeting will be the first time since 2001 that Indian representatives, in this case the former US ambassador to Afghanistan, Amar Sinha, and head of the think tank on the Indian Council of International Affairs, TCA Raghavan, will be sitting at the same table as the Taliban. India has opposed talks with the Taliban because of its links with Pakistan and any dialogue with the group that bypasses the Afghan government.
The deputation of two former officials to the Moscow meeting betrays New Delhi's dilemma in managing the situation in Afghanistan. Technically, he does not want to be absent from a meeting organized by Russia, considered a strategic partner, and should not participate in a dialogue about the future of Afghanistan, which He considers it to be part of his wider neighborhood.
At the same time, India is concerned that the talks are taking place without the official involvement of the Afghan government, which is being attended by the Taliban, which would give the rebels some kind of international recognition in that he would share the same table for formal interviews. with foreign governments.
"India supports all peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan that preserve unity and plurality, and bring security, stability and prosperity to the country. It has been India's consistent policy that these efforts should be Afghan-led, controlled by them and with the participation of the Afghan government, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar.
"Our participation in the meeting will be at the unofficial level," he said.
In response, the Russian Embassy in New Delhi said: "The Russian Embassy welcomes the participation of India and other respected countries in the talks on the Moscow format. We attach great importance to India's support for the peace process in Afghanistan. "
This is Moscow's second attempt in recent months to organize a regional forum. A previous attempt in August failed because the Afghan government refused to attend, saying the Taliban should first open talks with it before sitting with the countries in the region. a multilateral format. The United States and India also withdrew from the talks, which led Russia to postpone the talks in the "Moscow format" indefinitely.
Friday's talks in Moscow followed a meeting between Taliban representatives and US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in Doha last month. The meeting generated a lot of criticism from Kabul because it did not involve the Afghan government.
The Russian Foreign Minister said Saturday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had decided to send representatives of the Afghan High Peace Council to the meeting. However, an Afghan Foreign Ministry official, in response to an email, said Kabul "will not send" a delegation to the talks in Moscow. The Kabul government has publicly expressed its disapproval of Moscow's support for the Taliban, which claims to take control of ISIS rebels that Russia sees as a more serious threat.
