NEW YORK: Foreign ministers from China, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia have jointly urged Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government to take tangible and verifiable steps to dismantle terrorist networks operating from its soil. The call came during a quadrilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
In a joint statement released after the meeting, the four countries reaffirmed their support for Afghanistan as an “independent, united, and peaceful state” — one free from terrorism, conflict, and the drug trade. However, they stressed that preventing terrorist organizations from using Afghan territory remains a shared regional priority.
The quadripartite consultations, which have been ongoing since 2017, aim to promote regional stability and coordinate efforts to counter terrorism, extremism, and narcotics trafficking stemming from Afghanistan. These meetings, often held at ministerial and special envoy levels, also seek to foster political dialogue and economic integration for Afghanistan within the broader region.
The ministers expressed grave concern over the continued presence of multiple terrorist groups in Afghanistan, naming ISIS (ISIL), Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Jaish ul-Adl, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and the Majeed Brigade as significant threats to regional and global security.
They emphasized that promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan — alongside combating terrorism, radicalism, and drug trafficking — is a common regional objective. To that end, the joint statement highlighted the need for the Taliban to take responsibility for preventing terrorist safe havens.
On the diplomatic front, the ministers reaffirmed their support for a political solution to the Afghan crisis and backed the active involvement of the international community, particularly the United Nations. They acknowledged the importance of regional platforms such as the Moscow Format, the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of Afghanistan’s Neighbouring Countries, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in facilitating constructive engagement on Afghanistan.
The four nations also called for revisions to the 1988 UN sanctions regime to reflect the current ground realities, including granting travel exemptions to certain Taliban officials to enable dialogue. They underscored the importance of continued humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and urged that such aid not be linked to political considerations.
In an effort to alleviate Afghanistan’s worsening economic crisis, the statement voiced support for regional infrastructure and economic initiatives aimed at integrating Afghanistan into broader trade and connectivity frameworks. The ministers further appealed to the international community to intensify emergency humanitarian aid and reaffirmed their collective willingness to expand economic cooperation with Kabul.
The joint statement also welcomed the recent meeting of Special Representatives from China, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia on Afghanistan, held on September 12 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The four countries encouraged the continuation of these quadrilateral consultations as a means of keeping regional dialogue active and inclusive.
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