Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that he is not ready to hand over power to anyone who is not chosen through elections, at a time when the Afghan Foreign Ministry affirmed its adherence to the peace negotiations in Doha, and that the new tracks are a continuation of that path.
Ghani affirmed the Afghan government's readiness to participate in the elections if the Taliban movement participated in them, and made clear that the government has a roadmap based on permanent and just peace and national unity, and the constitution stipulates that elections are the reference point for government in the country.
And while Ghani thanked the United States for its efforts to accelerate the achievement of peace in Afghanistan, he emphasized that the Afghan government desperately needs peace more than any other party.
Complementary paths
For its part, the Afghan Foreign Ministry confirmed - in a statement issued today, Tuesday - that conducting peace negotiations in Russia and Turkey is a continuation of the Doha negotiations.
She explained that the Afghan government delegation is negotiating with the Taliban delegation in Doha, confirming that these negotiations will continue in the future.
From the signing of the historic peace agreement in Doha between the Taliban and the United States on February 29, 2020 (Reuters)
The Foreign Ministry pointed out that it appreciates the efforts of the State of Qatar to achieve peace in Afghanistan, and hopes that it will yield promising results soon, noting that it also appreciates regional efforts and the support of neighboring countries to ensure peace in the country.
The Taliban had confirmed that it would participate in the Afghan peace conference to be held in Moscow in the presence of the US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, at a time when Washington continues its efforts to persuade Kabul and the Taliban to accept its proposed plan to end the war.
Yesterday, Monday, a spokesman for the Taliban's political office, Muhammad Naeem, announced that the head of the office, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, would lead a 10-person delegation to participate in the Moscow meeting, which is expected to bring together the Afghan parties next Thursday.
In Washington, the US State Department confirmed on Monday that its envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, will attend the Moscow meeting, and the ministry said that the Afghan peace conference in the Russian capital comes as part of other international efforts to support the peace process in Afghanistan.
In addition to the Moscow meeting, Istanbul is scheduled to host another meeting next month as part of efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan, and Washington had suggested holding the meeting in Turkey.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed that this meeting was not a substitute for the ongoing Afghan negotiations in Doha.