The eighth Moscow Format meeting on Afghanistan ended without a joint statement on Monday as Pakistan and Afghanistan failed to reach an agreement over terrorism and counterterrorism.
Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said that Moscow regretted that participants could not reach an agreement on the final document.
“When drafting the final joint statement, we encountered one problem, that problem was that our Afghan and Pakistani colleagues didn’t see eye to eye,” he said.
The meeting brought together special envoys and senior officials from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Belarus and Egypt also attended as guests.
The Moscow Format began in 2016-17 and has become one of the regional diplomatic platforms focused on Afghanistan.
The disagreement between Islamabad and Kabul centred on references to terrorism. Kabulov said that the Afghan delegation objected to wording that linked Afghanistan with terrorism.
Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq told the meeting that Islamabad wanted peace and stability in the region and had continued political and diplomatic engagement with the Taliban leadership over terrorism originating from Afghan territory.
“Pakistan desires peace and stability in the region and has remained patiently engaged in political and diplomatic efforts aimed at addressing the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil. However, it is unfortunate that Pakistan’s numerous goodwill gestures and highly responsible appr¬oach were misconstrued, resulting in increased terrorist attacks from Afghan soil, with the active support and backing of the Taliban Regime,” he said.
Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi criticised Pakistan over its statements and actions towards Afghanistan. He accused Islamabad of using military pressure, refugees, students and transit routes to put pressure on Kabul.
Muttaqi, however, said that the issues between the two countries could still be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy.
Russia offered to help reduce tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Kabulov, however, said that resolving bilateral disputes did not fall within the main purpose of the Moscow Format.
“Russia is ready to assist in ending this conflict in any possible, permissible way either on its own or in partnership with our other partners provided that both sides make such a request. We are ready to provide the maximum possible assistance,” he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who opened the meeting, supported assistance for Kabul and said that improving Afghanistan’s counterterrorism capabilities was in the interest of the region.
Separately, the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday unsealed arrest warrants for two Afghan ministers over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the Taliban government’s restrictions on women and girls, AFP reported.
The warrants against Education Minister Habibullah Agha and Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadeem were issued in September 2025 but remained sealed until Monday.
The ICC accused the two officials of gender-based persecution linked to policies that have prevented girls from continuing their education beyond primary level and barred women from higher education after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
The court had issued warrants in July 2025 against Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court President Abdul Hakim Haqqani. Parts of those warrants were later made public.
The ICC said that Agha and Nadeem played a role in enforcing Akhundzada’s policies in Afghanistan.
A Taliban spokesman condemned the ICC’s position over the arrest warrants against Afghan leaders.
