Syeda Mazhar
For the first time in decades, representatives from The Taliban, the High Peace Council (HPC) and 12 other countries which include China, Pakistan, India, US, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan convened at the capital of Russia, Moscow to attend an Afghan led peace process. The Russian Foreign Ministry hoped that by hosting this initiative, the conference would be able to sketch out the roadmap for Afghanistan’s future and bring prosperity in the region. The Moscow format was hosted on 9th November 2018 after a series of delays which had arisen when the United States, India and Afghanistan had refused to participate in the process.
This was also the first time a Taliban delegation from its political office in Doha, Qatar has participated in an event encouraging open dialogue. During his opening speech at the conference, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, stressed the importance of the five member Taliban delegation at the event. He believed their participation was necessary to initiate direct talks between the government, the Taliban and representatives of political forces in Afghanistan. It is imperative to note that there was an absence of any official representation from the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. However, the attendance of the members of the Afghan High Peace Council (HPC) and delegation from Taliban overshadow this fact with significance of their own presence. Initially, the conference had been scheduled for the 4th of September, but the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani personally spoke to Lavrov asking him to cancel it.
In a statement earlier this November, Taliban stated that aim of the conference was not to negotiate with any particular front but to lay down their demands for a peace process and find an approach to end the American occupation in Afghanistan that they firmly objected. The attendance of representatives of the US was also uncertain as they initially declined any participation. The US State Department explained its refusal on account of, “the absence of significant results of the first meeting in Moscow regarding the Afghan peace process”. However, later on the US Embassy claimed it would send a diplomat to observe the discussions at the conference. During this time, United States’ Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, would also be travelling to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the UAE and Qatar between November 8 and November 20. His primary goal being to “advance intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations that include the Taliban” and achieve sustainable peace in the region. Soon after the participation of The US was confirmed, the Indian delegation had agreed to the sit down talks with the Taliban. This was a very uncharacteristic move given that India has maintained a policy of non-recognition which dates back several years and had also initially claimed to participate in the Moscow Summit only if the Afghan government also participated along with the Taliban. This event marks the first time India has formally acknowledged the Taliban and engaged in talks with their representatives. Although India claims its participation in the multilateral conference was non-official, it is apparent to see that the involvement of power states has left India wanting to stay in the loop of such an important peace process. This involvement may also be after realizing that their political and economic interests are now tied up with recognizing the Taliban instead of feigning indifference. Accordingly, Amar Siha, the ambassador to Afghanistan and TCA Rahavan, the former ambassador to Pakistan were sent to represent India at the conference.
It seems that the Moscow Summit was in actual, the segue Russia needed to establish itself as a diplomatic peacemaker for the world. Moscow seeks to become a crucial player in developing the peace process for Afghanistan, where the concerns of regional and global powers, including the US, are attached. This allows it another front through which it seeks to re-engage with the US. However, part of Russia’s concern is also security related as terrorism activity in the Northern provinces of Afghanistan, which are close to the borders of former Soviet republics, is on a rise. By using this concern or even exaggerating it, Russia is probable to extend its military presence in Central Asia.
Russia is not the only party to have benefited from this event but for the Taliban, the Moscow Summit marks the first time its representatives participated in a forum organized by a permanent member of the UN Security Council. This acknowledgement on such a wide scale has given the Taliban immense significance. In turn, the Taliban have reassured Russia as a reliable partner, capable of securing Soviet-era borders. In an interview last year, former Taliban leader Syed Mohammad Akbar Agha reiterated that the Taliban poses no direct threat to Russia.
The other countries that also participated in this event are under no illusion that a peaceful Afghanistan is only a benefactor in them facilitating their own interests and agendas. This sentiment was echoed by Sergey Lavrov as he closed the conference claiming that, “we reaffirm our position on the lack of alternative to a political settlement in Afghanistan and the need for active coordinated efforts by Afghanistan’s neighboring countries and regional partners.”
