US, Russian envoys for Afghanistan meet in Turkey
Meeting was held in Russian Embassy in Ankara
US Afghanistan Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad (3rd L) meets his Russian counterpart Zamir Kabulov (2nd R) in Ankara,Turkey on February 22, 2019. ( Ambasada e Rusise / Handout - Anadolu Agency )
ANKARA
Russian and U.S. special representatives for Afghan reconciliation met Friday in the Turkish capital Ankara.
The meeting between U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and his Russian counterpart Zamir Kabulov was held in the Russian Embassy.
Russian’s Ambassador to Turkey Aleksey Yerhov and other officials from the two countries were present in the meeting.
The closed-door meeting lasted over one hour.
The two sides met Taliban leaders in Moscow in late December.
The U.S. is leading a round of talks with the Taliban and regional stakeholders aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan.
While the Taliban have held talks with Afghan politicians and U.S. officials, they refuse to recognize or negotiate with the Kabul government -- a rough patch that all sides are trying to resolve.
Kabul maintains that any peace plan should be Afghan-owned and Afghan-led.
The raging Afghan conflict is in its bloody 18th year, with thousands of lives lost and millions forced to flee their homes.
Reporting by Zuhal Demirci:Writing by Faruk Zorlu
