Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkish ministers to discuss Afghan peace prospects
Afghan security personnel stand guard as civil society activists (not pictured) hold banners and shout slogans against the Iranian government during a protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Kabul on May 11, 2020.
The foreignministersofAfghanistan,Pakistanand Turkey will hold talks in Istanbul on Friday, Turkey said, after a widerAfghanpeaceconference was postponed because the Taliban said they would not participate.
The plannedpeacetalks in Turkey were scheduled for April 24 to fast-track an agreement between the Taliban andAfghangovernment in light of the announcement by Washington that foreign troops would leaveAfghanistanby September 11.
No new date has been set for those talks.
Turkey's foreign ministry said Friday's three-way meeting would cover "recent developments regarding theAfghanpeaceprocess, cooperation in the fields of security, energy, connectivity and irregular migration".
On Monday,Pakistanurged the Taliban to remain engaged in theAfghanpeaceprocess after the armed group said it would now shun summits aboutAfghanistanuntil all foreign forces leave.
The decision was taken after the United States said last week it would withdraw all troops by Sept. 11 this year, later than a May 1 deadline set out by the previous administration.