January 13 According to a report by Russian Satellite Network on the 13th, Zamir Kablov, Director of the Asia II Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview that Moscow called on both Afghan sides to start substantive negotiations on reconciliation.
He said that the full resumption of intra-Afghan negotiations scheduled for January 5 did not take place. The two sides gathered in Doha with mixed personnel and some informal contacts.
It is expected that the technical issues related to the agreed agenda will continue, “We still believe that the preliminary phase of negotiations must be completed as soon as possible and substantive discussions on intra-Afghan reconciliation must begin.”
Kablov pointed out that it is not ruled out to hold intra-Afghan negotiations within Russia, but it is too early to discuss the issue, let alone predict the date.
Negotiators between Afghanistan and the Taliban opened consultations in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on September 12, 2020. After the start of the consultations, the violence continued throughout Afghanistan.
It was reported that the first round of talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban lasted for three months. The two sides agreed on the procedural rules of the talks and verbally raised each other’s demands on the main points of the agenda.
The Afghan peace negotiators travelled to Doha on January 4, 2021 to resume talks that were suspended for 23 days and continue consultations on the negotiating agenda.
