Russian, US envoys meet in Ankara for peace in Afghanistan

ANKARA

The U.S. peace envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has met his Russian counterpart in the Turkish capital for talks on efforts to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan.

The Russian embassy in Ankara announced on Twitter Feb. 22 that it hosted the meeting between Khalilzad and Zamir Kabulov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy for Afghanistan.

“Just met my Russian counterpart Amb Kabulov. We agreed that all-inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue is essential to advance peace efforts. To move forward, Afghans should name a unified, inclusive and national negotiating team that includes the Afghan government and other Afghans,” Khalilzad said on his Twitter account.

“Amb Kabulov and I also discussed travel barriers to talks. We will explore options for securing UN travel waivers for Taliban negotiators to participate in peace talks,” he noted.

Khalilzad has been involved in efforts for reaching a peace deal in Afghanistan and has been part of direct talks with the Taliban.

Afghan politician General Abdul Rashid Dostum also reportedly met on Feb. 20 with Zalmay Khalilzad in Ankara.