Overview
- The eighth Moscow Format consultations in Moscow on Monday brought Taliban envoys together with officials from Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Central Asian states but ended without a joint statement after Afghan and Pakistani delegations could not agree on terrorism-related language.
- Pakistan’s special representative Mohammad Sadiq accused the Taliban of complicity with militant groups and defended cross-border strikes, saying more than 4,700 Pakistanis were killed by attacks he said originated in Afghanistan over the past three years.
- Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi rejected Pakistan’s charges, condemned Pakistani strikes for killing Afghan civilians and said there was no evidence Pakistan had hit those Islamabad called dangerous to it.
- Russia used the talks to publicly praise deeper engagement with the Taliban, recall its 2025 recognition of the Islamic Emirate, oppose any future NATO military presence, and say it is ready to help de‑escalate the Kabul‑Islamabad dispute if both sides request help.
- Participants reiterated support for equality-based cooperation with Kabul, regular non-politicized humanitarian aid and Afghan integration into regional economic ties, but the breakdown on a joint statement highlights the Moscow Format’s limits to resolve bilateral security disputes and raises the risk of continued cross-border violence and regional fragmentation.