Russia’s Foreign Ministry says the eighth meeting of the Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan will be held in Moscow on October 5.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said special representatives and senior officials from Afghanistan, Russia, Pakistan, China, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are expected to attend. Belarus and Egypt have also been invited as guest countries.
The Afghan delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to address participants, while Muttaqi and Lavrov are also scheduled to hold a separate bilateral meeting on the sidelines.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the bilateral talks will focus on current issues in cooperation between Russia and Afghanistan.
The broader Moscow Format discussions are expected to focus on political and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and regional countries, as well as regional coordination against terrorism and illegal drug trafficking. A joint statement is expected at the end of the meeting.
The Moscow Format is a regional consultation mechanism focused on Afghanistan and brings together Russia and several countries from the surrounding region.