DUSHANBE. Sept 9 (Interfax) - Tajikistan will support only an inclusive government in Afghanistan involving all ethnic groups, a government where Afghan Tajiks will take their rightful place, Tajikistan's Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin said at an online meeting dealing with Afghanistan.
"The international community has been unable for as many as 20 years to restore order in Afghanistan and has left 'a legacy' of tens of thousands of terrorists in this country. This country has become a breeding-ground for chaos. What should Tajikistan, which has a lengthy and vulnerable border with this country, do in this situation?" the Tajik Foreign Ministry's website quoted Muhriddin as saying.
In his speech, the minister also touched upon the continuing fighting in Panjshir.
"The Taliban [banned in Russia] used aircraft in their attacks on Panjshir with the help of third countries, killing a large number of Tajiks. In this context, I call on the international community to influence the Taliban and to help find a political solution to the ongoing crisis," the minister said.
Muhriddin reiterated that Tajikistan will support only an inclusive government involving all ethnic groups, a government in which the Tajiks of Afghanistan will take their rightful place.
The meeting was initiated by the United States and Germany and attended by the foreign ministers of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, India, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, as well as by senior officials of the European Union, NATO and the United Nations.
The participants in the meeting focused on the issue of refugees, the fight against terrorism, extending humanitarian aid to the Afghan people, and countries' cooperation to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan.