Sergei Lavrov: 7th Meeting Moscow Format – Afghanistan

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks (https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/2052184/) at a meeting with Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi on the sidelines of the 7th meeting of the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan (Moscow, October 7, 2025)

💬 Sergey Lavrov: Mr Minister, welcome.

Thank you for accepting our invitation to the regular, 7th meeting of the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan.

The situation in the region and the world as a whole is complicated – we are now referring to our common region – and it is not becoming simpler. We can see that your government is working towards stability in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. It is generally agreed that there have been major positive changes in the struggle against the terrorist threat. The relevant UN bodies have noted a substantial decrease in the areas sown with narcotic plants.

We are interested in providing all-round assistance to our Afghan colleagues’ struggle against drug trafficking, terrorism and organised crime, and their efforts to strengthen normal peaceful life in the interests of the Afghan people. A number of relevant agreements and complementary documents have been signed. I hope to be able to discuss all this with you today.

Joint Statement

Joint statement (https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/international_safety/2052216/) by Participants of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan (Moscow, October 7, 2025)

💬 On October 7th, 2025, the 7th meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan was held in Moscow at the level of special representatives and senior officials of Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A delegation from Belarus attended the meeting as guests.

For the first time the Afghan delegation headed by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaqi participated in the meeting as a member.

❗️ The parties reaffirmed their unwavering support for the establishment of Afghanistan as an independent, united and peaceful state.

The parties noted the need for development of economic and trade exchanges, investment cooperation of Afghanistan with regional countries and the international community. They expressed their interest in developing regional economic projects with Afghan participation and promoting steady progress in such fields as healthcare, poverty alleviation, agriculture and disaster prevention, so as to help Afghanistan realize independent and sustainable development at an early date. They supported the active integration of Afghanistan into the system of regional connectivity.

The parties reiterated their commitment to continue humanitarian support to the Afghan people, and called on the international community to intensify provision of emergency humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, while simultaneously reaffirming opposition to the attempts of politicizing it.

The parties called for strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation at both bilateral and multilateral levels. They emphasized that Afghanistan should be supported to undertake comprehensive measures aimed at the elimination of terrorism and its eradication within a short timeframe so that Afghan soil is not used as a threat to the security of the neighboring countries and beyond. The parties underscored that terrorism constitutes a serious threat to the security of Afghanistan, the region and the wider world.

The parties underlined the significant role of regional frameworks.

The parties urged the countries mainly responsible for the current predicament in Afghanistan to earnestly fulfill commitments on the economic recovery and future development of Afghanistan.

They called unacceptable the attempts by countries to deploy their military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighboring states, since this does not serve the interests of regional peace and stability.