The meeting of the Special Envoys for Afghanistan from Europe (Italy, France, Germany, Norway, United Kingdom) and the United States took place on 22 July at the Foreign Ministry, opened by Deputy Minister Di Stefano. The NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, a representative of the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Qatari Special Envoy for Conflict Mediation also attended the meeting.
Delegates from the Afghan Republican Government and the Taliban Political Bureau also spoke via video link from Kabul and Doha.
The meeting, which took place between two sessions of the Doha peace talks, served to identify several key negotiating lines that will be further developed when the negotiating table reopens in Qatar. The Italian initiative has breathed new life into the political process for Afghanistan, which is of crucial importance at a time when diplomatic efforts must be stepped up to prevent further violence in the country and to achieve a shared, lasting and sustainable ceasefire without delay.
The future stability and institutional set-up of Afghanistan can only depend on the choices of the Afghan people, but the international community has a duty to suggest ways forward and open platforms for compromise. As part of this exercise, the meeting in Rome confirmed the commitment of Italy and the other countries represented to support mediation and, in particular, to support the United States’ efforts to reach a political agreement between the parties.
The opportunity to involve regional partners, starting with Pakistan, and key international players in order to exert targeted pressure and achieve timely and visible results on the road to restoring peace and security in the country was also reaffirmed.
