Russia Hosts Afghan Talks, Calls On US To Participate

Russia has hosted talks about Afghanistan on Wednesday involving senior representatives of the Taliban, Iran, China, Pakistan and India.

The talks coming amid uncertainty about the impact of the Taliban rule is a round of diplomacy that underlines Moscow's continuing influence in the region.

Opening the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed regret that the United States had chosen not to send a delegation, saying he hoped the US would attend future talks.

He said the Taliban was now in power in Afghanistan and there was no alternative to this for the foreseeable future.

His comments reflected Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments last week that although there should be no rush in officially recognizing the Taliban as the new rulers of the country, it was necessary to engage in talks with them.

Lavrov emphasized the security challenges posed by the Islamic State group and other militants based in northern Afghanistan and noted that drug trafficking from Afghanistan would continue to present a challenge.

Iran has also voiced concern over recent terror attacks targeting the Shiite minority in Afghanistan, attributed to the Islamic State group.

With reporting by AP