Zamir Kabulov, Ismatullah Irgashev, and Yue Xiaoyong, special representatives of Russia, Uzbekistan, and China, met with Zabihullah Mujahid, the head of the Taliban delegation, ahead of the main session of the third Doha meeting.
Mujahid announced on the social media platform X that he had an “important meeting" with Kabulov, focusing on expanding relations between the Taliban and Russia. Mujahid expressed gratitude for Russia's "positive and constructive stance" during the discussions.
In another meeting with Irgashev, Mujahid discussed various topics related to Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, although he did not provide specific details. He noted that Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have several ongoing economic projects and that Tashkent expressed its support for the Taliban's position at the Doha meeting.
Additionally, Afghan journalists reported that Mujahid held a separate meeting with Xiaoyong.
So far, representatives from Russia, Uzbekistan, and China have not commented on these meetings.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the head of the Taliban delegation at the Doha meeting, evaded questions from Maryam Rahmati, a reporter for Afghanistan International, about the group's lack of domestic legitimacy. Mujahid also did not respond to questions about women's rights.
When confronted by reporters in the lobby of the hotel where the Doha meeting will be held, Mujahid chose to leave the hotel corridor instead of engaging with the journalists.
However, Suhail Shaheen, a member of the Taliban delegation accompanying Mujahid, responded to one of the questions by claiming that the group does have domestic legitimacy. Shaheen said, "If we didn't have domestic legitimacy, we wouldn't have been able to end the occupation."
Critics of the Taliban argue that the group took over power in Afghanistan through a "foreign conspiracy" and "intimidation via suicide attacks and bombings," and thus lacks domestic legitimacy. According to Taliban opponents, domestic legitimacy can only be achieved through a nationwide election, but the Taliban fears "the people's votes."
A group of female activists and civil society members from Afghanistan protested in Islamabad on Saturday, boycotting the third Doha meeting.
In a resolution, these activists warned the United Nations and country representatives that engagement with the Taliban equates to "a betrayal of human rights values."
The resolution stated, "In our opinion, any understanding with this group under the name of negotiation is an open interaction with war criminals, perpetrators of crimes against humanity, and agents of gender apartheid."
The women activists and civil society members urged the United Nations to redirect its dialogue towards the people of Afghanistan.
They also called for the criminalisation and official recognition of gender apartheid in Afghanistan. The resolution declared, "Women and LGBTQ+ individuals are clearly under an apartheid regime. It is the duty of the United Nations and its member states to criminalise and recognise gender apartheid in Afghanistan."
The resolution also emphasised the need to "pursue war crimes and crimes against humanity committed indiscriminately by the Taliban," stating that "sufficient documentation by domestic and international institutions has made this truth clear."
The activists called on the United Nations to impose sanctions against the Taliban government and to maintain the group's designation on the list of terrorist organisations.
The Doha meeting is set to begin today, and the main negotiations will continue until tomorrow.
Women have been excluded from the composition and agenda of the main negotiations in the third Doha meeting, leading to widespread protests by Afghan women and citizens. Several female activists have boycotted the meeting, and some invitees, including Habiba Sarabi, a member of the previous government's negotiating team, Nabila Mosleh, former Deputy Minister of Women's Affairs, and Zubaida Akbar, a human rights activist, have refused to participate in the sidelines of Doha meeting.
The draft agenda for the Doha meeting, obtained by Afghanistan International, shows that human rights and meetings with representatives of women and civil society are not included.
The meeting will focus on three main issues: the economic crisis, narcotics, and empowering the private sector with a focus on women entrepreneurs.
The third Doha meeting will be held over two days, with no mention of sessions with civil society members or women's representatives in the agenda.
According to unconfirmed reports, six people, including three women and three men, will represent Afghan women and civil society on the sidelines of the meeting.
The draft agenda states that the main goal of the United Nations and representatives from regional and global countries is to create a platform for dialogue and engagement with the Taliban.
The meeting will begin with speeches by the UN Deputy Secretary-General, the Qatari representative, and the Taliban representative.
The draft indicates that the third Doha meeting will address the shared concerns of regional and global stakeholders with the Taliban. Discussions will also cover recommendations from UN special coordinator, Feridun Sinirlioğlu.
The second day's agenda includes discussions on Afghanistan's economic crisis, empowering the private sector with a focus on women entrepreneurs, narcotics issues, and alternative crops for farmers. The United Nations has announced that Afghanistan's economy has faced a 26% decline in GDP.
According to the draft, Afghanistan, which accounted for 80% of the world's drug production over the past two decades, now faces challenges in alternative crop cultivation following the 2022 ban on poppy cultivation, resulting in a 92% drop in farmers' income. The draft also mentions that Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of drug consumption.
Representatives from 24 countries and five international organisations will attend the meeting.
Countries invited to the meeting include Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uzbekistan.
Representatives from the European Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank will also be present.
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the Taliban's Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, confirmed on Saturday that the United Nations has accepted the group's conditions as a "responsible government."
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson and head of their delegation to the Doha meeting, said before travelling to Qatar that women's issues and human rights are internal matters for Afghanistan and will not be discussed at the Doha meeting.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan announced that Ashgabat will host the fifth meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighbouring countries this year.
Ahmed Kurbanov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan, and Yue Xiaoyong, China's special representative for Afghanistan, discussed the upcoming meeting.
In a statement released on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan stated that the discussions during the meeting focused on preparations for the fifth meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighbouring countries.
Officials from both countries emphasised on their continued full support for Afghanistan's economic improvement, adhering to the principles of friendship and good neighbourliness.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan noted that Ashgabat considers international meetings an important factor for Afghanistan's stability.
The fourth meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighbouring countries was held in April 2023, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The foreign ministers of China, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan attended this meeting.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it welcomes the participation of Taliban representatives in the Doha meeting.
In a statement, the ministry expressed its support for constructive dialogues aimed at making progress on resolving Afghanistan's issues while considering the rights and legitimate interests of the Afghan people.
The statement, released on Friday, June 28, mentioned that the goal of the Doha meeting is "to discuss the directions for developing coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan”.
According to the statement, the discussions at the Doha meeting will cover political, economic, financial, and humanitarian areas.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that representatives from Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Norway, and Canada will be present at the third Doha meeting.
Additionally, representatives from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and the European Union will also attend the meeting.
Zamir Kabulov, the special representative of the Russian President for Afghanistan, will lead the Russian delegation.
The third Doha meeting is scheduled to be hosted by the United Nations on June 30 and July 1. Special representatives of various countries for Afghanistan will attend the meeting.
Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban’s spokesperson, is set to lead a delegation representing the Taliban at this meeting.
On Saturday, the Taliban spokesperson announced in a press conference that the group will participate in the third Doha meeting to "engage with all parties and resolve issues”.
Zabihullah Mujahid also urged countries not to leave Afghanistan alone.