Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov this Wednesday (30) in east China’s Anhui province, where the Asian country is due to host two days of meetings on Afghanistan, reported state broadcaster CGTN.
In the first face-to-face meeting since the start of the Ukraine war, Lavrov arrived early in China for talks hosted by Wang, which are expected to include representatives of the Taliban from Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
For Wang Yi, Chinese and Russian relations “have stood the test of international turmoil” and continue to develop resiliently.
The two nations agreed to expand cooperation, Russian news agency Interfax reported, citing Russia’s Foreign Ministry, amid what Moscow described as “difficult international conditions”. Cooperation included coordinating foreign policy and speaking with one voice on global affairs.
Tom West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, will attend a separate meeting at the same location as the so-called Extended Troika: China, Russia, the United States and Pakistan, a US State Department spokesman said. This conversation will not include Lavrov and Wang.
The talks come against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and at a time when Afghanistan is suffering an economic and humanitarian crisis exacerbated by a cut in financial aid following the Taliban takeover when US-led troops departed in August last year.
The United States believes that it shares with other members of the Extended Troika an interest in the Taliban fulfilling commitments to form an inclusive government, cooperate in combating terrorism and rebuild the Afghan economy, the State Department spokesperson said.
Last week, Wang visited Kabul, where he met with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss political and economic ties, including the start of work in the mining sector and Afghanistan’s possible role in the China’s Belt and Road infrastructure, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said.
Source: CNN Brasil
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