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Iran FM sets off for third meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors in China

Tuesday, 29 March 2022 10:03 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 29 March 2022 10:13 AM ]

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has left Tehran for China to attend the third meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries.

Heading a political delegation, Amir-Abdollahian traveled to China on Tuesday to take part in the summit due on March 30 and 31.

Top diplomats or representatives from Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are scheduled to attend the event in Tunxi, East China’s Anhui Province, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

Taliban acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, will also be present at the gathering hosted by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Pakistan hosted the first meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighbors, which was held in a virtual format, in September 2021. The second such event took place in the Iranian capital the following month.

Hosting Afghanistan neighbors’ meeting, Iran blames US for hardships of Afghans

A second meeting of top diplomats from Afghanistan’s neighboring states is held at the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran.

Afghanistan has been in turmoil since the Taliban, who had previously ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, took power again on August 15 last year and subsequently announced the formation of a caretaker government.

The United States and its allies have largely suspended their financial assistance to Afghanistan since August, adding fuel to a refugee crisis that has dramatically affected Afghanistan’s neighbors.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has frozen nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank since the withdrawal of its occupation forces from the country in August 2021.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have suspended activities in Afghanistan, withholding aid as well as $340 million in new reserves issued by the IMF last August.

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