The eighth edition of the Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan ended without a joint statement after differences between Pakistani and Afghan delegations prevented participants from reaching agreement on a final document. The meeting brought together special envoys and senior officials from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Belarus and Egypt participating as guests. The outcome highlighted the growing difficulty of building a common regional position on Afghanistan amid tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.

Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said Moscow regretted that the participants had been unable to agree on the final statement. According to Pakistan-based newspaper Dawn, Kabulov said disagreements between the Afghan and Pakistani sides emerged during discussions over the wording of the document. “When drafting the final joint statement, we encountered one problem,” he said, adding that the Afghan and Pakistani delegations “didn't see eye to eye.” He did not provide details on the specific provisions that remained disputed.

The absence of a joint statement is significant because the Moscow Format is one of the established regional diplomatic mechanisms focused on Afghanistan. The format was launched in 2017 to facilitate consultations involving Afghanistan and neighbouring or influential regional countries. Over successive meetings, participants have discussed Afghanistan’s political situation, security concerns, terrorism, humanitarian challenges and economic integration, seeking areas of common interest despite differences over how Kabul should be engaged.

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The latest meeting took place against the backdrop of worsening relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad and Kabul have faced repeated tensions over border security and allegations that militant groups are operating from Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Afghanistan has rejected accusations that it allows its territory to be used against neighbouring countries. The dispute has periodically escalated into border clashes and diplomatic confrontations, making bilateral tensions an increasingly important factor in regional discussions on Afghanistan.

The participation of India, China, Iran and Central Asian countries alongside Russia and Pakistan reflects the wider regional interest in Afghanistan’s stability. These countries have differing security and economic interests in the country, but share concerns about terrorism, instability and the potential spillover of Afghanistan’s problems into neighbouring states. Regional consultations have therefore provided a platform for maintaining dialogue even when participants disagree over specific political or security issues.

The failure to adopt a joint statement nevertheless demonstrated the limits of regional consensus when bilateral disputes become intertwined with broader diplomatic discussions. Kabulov’s remarks indicated that the disagreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan directly affected efforts to finalise the common document. With both sides continuing to face unresolved security and political differences, future regional initiatives on Afghanistan are likely to require sustained diplomacy to bridge competing positions. The Moscow Format remains an important channel for such engagement, but the latest meeting showed that reaching a unified regional position can prove difficult when tensions between key participants remain unresolved.

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