US, Russia Attend OIC Meeting, Discuss Afghanistan Crisis

Islamabad, MINA – Representatives from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) consisting of 57 countries as well as the United States (US), Russia, China and the European Union will meet in Islamabad, Pakistan today, Sunday to discuss ways help Afghanistan to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.

Pakistani officials said participants at the meeting are expected to explore ways to control and address the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the possible economic fallout, this it is quoted from Voice of America.

The OIC meeting will be the largest international gathering on Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power from the Western-backed government in mid-August, following the exit of US-led foreign troops from the country after 20 years.

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International donor agencies and the United Nations will also attend. The acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who arrived on Saturday, will brief the participants on the difficulties his country is facing.

“Our hope is that the conference will produce a mechanism to coordinate humanitarian and economic assistance to Afghanistan,” Muttaqi told reporters in Islamabad.

“We also hope that the meeting will help restore normal relations between the global community and Afghanistan,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the meeting was not an official recognition of the Taliban government, but warned that ignoring Afghanistan would be a historic mistake as it would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and trigger a new refugee exodus. (T/RE1)

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)