KABUL (Pajhwok): Russian delegates have skipped a meeting with Afghan civil activists in Doha, endorsing the stance of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The event was part of the two-day conference of special envoys for Afghanistan, convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The Russian Embassy in Kabul said: “At the request of Afghan authorities, the Russian side has decided to refrain from participating in the event with the so-called Afghan civil activists, whose selection, by the way, was conducted non-transparently behind Kabul’s back.”
In a statement on Telegram, the embassy noted IEA representatives were invited only to a “less important segment of events” in Doha under the auspices of Guterres.
It blamed the organisers for disregarding IEA’s request for participation as representing Afghanistan — one of the conditions for the caretaker government’s presence at the conference.
The embassy justified Kabul’s stance, soon after IEA set two conditions for participation in the meeting under the UN auspices.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul said the IEA delegation should be the only one representing Afghanistan. It also insisted on holding direct talks with the UN chief.
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