Russia on Friday expressed support for the idea of forming an interim government as way forward in Afghanistan.
“The formation of an interim coalition government should be decided by the Afghans themselves during national reconciliation negotiations,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a press conference.
“At the same time, we have noted that the formation of an interim, inclusive administration would be a logical solution to the problem of integrating the Taliban into Afghanistan’s peaceful political life.”
The comments come as Moscow plans to host a meeting at the level of special representatives from Russia, China, the United States and Pakistan to discuss the intra-Afghan settlement on March 18.
The delegations of the Afghan government, the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation and prominent Afghan political figures, as well as the Taliban and Qatar are also expected to attend.
“The participants will discuss ways to advance the intra-Afghan talks in Doha, to reduce the level of violence and to end the armed conflict in Afghanistan, as well as to help that country become an independent, peaceful and self-sufficient state, free from terrorism and drug-related crime,” Zakharova said.
The United States has also proposed formation of an interim government that would rule until an election under a new constitution.
It has asked Turkey to host a meeting to finalize peace agreement.
Turkey plans to host the talks in April, its Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.
