German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Russia and China should be involved in talks on the future of Afghanistan, particularly regarding evacuation plans for Afghans who face possible persecution by the Taliban
During a visit to Uzbekistan, Maas said an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York later would be an indication of whether Moscow and Beijing were going to cooperate.
“Efforts are being made to bring all important international partners to the negotiating table and therefore it will be important that Russia and China are also there”, – he said.
Unlike the other permanent members of the UNSC – the US, Britain and France – Russia and China still have open embassies in Afghanistan.
Maas is visiting Tashkent as part of a trip to three of Afghanistan’s neighbours for talks on continuing evacuations. He will travel to Tajikistan in the afternoon for talks in Dushanbe. On Tuesday, he will hold meetings in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
The three countries share land borders with Afghanistan and are expected to be among the main first destinations for people fleeing Taliban rule in Afghanistan.