Istanbul summit’s deferral predictable, says Russia

KABUL (Pajhwok): Russia says reports about the postponement of the Istanbul conference on Afghanistan are not surprising.

As the warring parties disagree on the agenda, the decision to delay the event in Turkey is predictable, a top Russian diplomat said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Al Jazeera reported the conference had been postponed as a result of Taliban’s refusal to participate in the event.

TASS quoted Russia’s Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov as saying the warring parties had yet to agree on a common agenda.

Kabulov remarked: “In these conditions, without some shared agenda, holding such an event would make no sense, of course.”

Besides the Afghan government and the Taliban, Russia had also been invited to the Istanbul summit, which was slated to be held from April 24 to May 4.

PAN Monitor/mud