MOSCOW. Dec 27 (Interfax) - Russia, China and Pakistan call on Kabul to join the consultations on Afghan settlement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
"The Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China as permanent members of the UN Security Council reaffirmed their readiness to have a flexible approach to the issues of dropping individual figures from the sanctions lists as part of efforts to establish peace dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban movement. The parties agreed to continue consultations in the enlarged format and respectively would welcome Afghanistan's participation," Zakharova said at a briefing on Tuesday, commenting on the third round of trilateral consultations on regional problems involving the special representatives on Afghan settlement, as well as the officials from Russia, China and Pakistan.
These consultations were held in Moscow on Tuesday, she said.
"The participants in the consultations also met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov. The parties underscored the deterioration of the situation in the security sphere, voiced special concerns about the growth in activity of extremist groups, including the Afghan wing of ISIL [a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia] in the country," Zakharova said.
The participants in the consultations agreed to continue efforts to further promote the advancement of the national reconciliation process in Afghanistan with the governing role of the Afghans and the retaining of the principles of integration of the armed opposition into peaceful life, she also said.