Russia hosted a peace conference for Afghanistan on March 18, 2021
· This is the first of three planned international conferences ahead of a May 1 deadline for the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the country.[ The date for the withdrawal of the troops from Afghanistan was fixed in an agreement between U.S. and Taliban that was signed a year ago.]
· Russia mediated the conference to bringing together government representatives and their
Taliban adversaries along with international observers in a bid to help jump start their peace process.
· Her mediation comes after the talks in Doha between the Afghan government and the Taliban got stalled.
· The conference is attended by U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalizad, Abdullah Abdullah, head of Afghanistan’s National Reconciliation Council, and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
· Also representatives from Pakistan, Iran and China participating the meeting