Iranian and Pakistani delegation heads meet on sidelines of Moscow Format meeting on Afghanistan

Pars Today – Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and the Assistant Foreign Minister and Director General for South Asia at the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Foreign Ministry held talks on regional developments on the sidelines of the Moscow Format meeting on Afghanistan. According to Pars Today, citing IRNA, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Sadiq Khan, met with Mohammad Reza Bahrami, Assistant Foreign Minister and Director General for South Asia at the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, during the Moscow Format meeting on Afghanistan. The head of the Iranian delegation said that, before the Moscow Format meeting, he had held a friendly and constructive exchange of views with Sadiq Khan and his accompanying delegation on ongoing developments in the region. The differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have deepened considerably over the past three years, have cast a shadow over the meeting of the Moscow Format member states. In this regard, the Islamic Republic of Iran has expressed its readiness to help de-escalate tensions between the two neighboring countries. The Moscow Format is a regional mechanism for consultations on developments in Afghanistan and the country’s peace process, established at Russia’s initiative in 2017. The meetings are held to coordinate among regional countries and explore ways to achieve stability and peace in Afghanistan. Iran, Russia, China, India, as well as a…