Taliban to travel to Russia for Afghanistan peace talks after 17 years of war
Talks follow wave of violence but also series of overtures from Afghan government
The Afghan Taliban will travel to Moscow for peace talks next month in a high-profile embrace of public diplomacy that will be a landmark for the group and their Russian hosts after 17 years of war.
“The first reaction was positive, they are planning to take part in the meeting,” the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, said, adding that he hoped for productive negotiations at the talks, which will bring together a dozen groups including regional heavyweights China, Iran and Pakistan, starting on September 4.
The Taliban did not officially comment on the reports from Moscow, but a senior member of the group confirmed to Associated Press that they would send a delegation “for the sake of finding peace in Afghanistan”.
The official said the group plans to send representatives to other countries in the region, including Pakistan and China, “to take them into confidence and address their concerns”.
The talks in Moscow would mark the Taliban’s first public participation in a regional forum since they were ousted from power in Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks on America. They were invited to a previous round of talks in Russia last year but did not attend.
The talks will come after a wave of intense violence, but also in the wake of increased diplomatic outreach by the insurgent group and a series of peace overtures from the Afghan government.