KABUL: Foreign ministers of Afghanistan, Turkey and Pakistan are expected to gather in a meeting in Istanbul on Friday and discuss developments in Afghan peace and some other key issues.
The trilateral meeting is scheduled after the postponement of Turkey conference on Afghan peace following the Taliban’s refusal to attend it.
The conference in Turkey was set to hold on April 24 in order to reach a deal between the Taliban and the Afghan government in light of Washington’s announcement that foreign troops will completely withdraw from the country by September 11.
However, the conference was postponed after the Taliban said that they would not attend any meetings on Afghan peace until all foreign forces leave Afghanistan.
A statement from the Turkish foreign minister on Thursday said that a three-way meeting on Friday will focus on “latest developments in the Afghan peace process, cooperation in the fields of stability, oil, communication, and irregular migration.”
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will also hold bilateral meetings with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts, the source said.
This is while Pakistan encouraged the Taliban to stay involved in the Afghan peace process, after the armed group’s rejection of negotiations.