Kabulov stated at the ‘Moscow Format’ meeting: ‘A delegation from Islamic Afghanistan is participating in this meeting as an official member of this format for the first time.’ An agreement to establish the ‘Moscow Format for Consultations on Afghanistan’ was reached in early 2017, following negotiations between Russia, the Afghan government, China, Pakistan, Iran, and India.
Previous meetings of the ‘Moscow Format’ were held in 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, with the main participants remaining Russia, Iran, China, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. The government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is participating for the fourth time since taking power in 2021.
The United States participated in the ‘Moscow Format’ only once in 2018, represented by an observer from its embassy in Moscow, despite receiving invitations.
