The Moscow Format talks on Afghanistan will convene for an eighth round on Oct. 5, bringing together the Taliban and regional states to discuss political, economic and security questions, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The meeting takes place as relations between Kabul and Islamabad remain badly strained and as Moscow continues to cast itself as a leading diplomatic interlocutor for the Taliban administration.
Who Will Attend
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that representatives and special envoys from Afghanistan, Russia, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are expected to participate. Belarus and Egypt have also been invited as guests. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will open the meeting with remarks, and a joint statement is expected to be adopted at its conclusion.
The Taliban delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Lavrov on the sidelines of the gathering. Zakharova said the two officials will discuss the current state of cooperation between Moscow and Kabul.
What the Moscow Format Talks on Afghanistan Are Expected to Address
According to Zakharova, discussions will centre on political and economic engagement between Afghanistan and its regional partners, as well as efforts to strengthen regional counterterrorism cooperation and curb illicit drug trafficking. These themes echo the priorities of the previous round, held in Moscow in October 2025, where participants called for closer cooperation against terrorism and narcotics and stressed the importance of expanding economic and trade links with Afghanistan.
A Platform Shaped by Taliban Recognition
The Moscow Format was launched in 2017 as a regional consultative platform on political, security and economic developments in Afghanistan. Its composition has changed considerably since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. The seventh round in October 2025 was the first at which the Taliban took part as a formal participant, and Amir Khan Muttaqi attended that meeting in Moscow as the group’s foreign minister.
The question of Taliban recognition nonetheless remains unresolved. Russia became the first country to formally recognise the Taliban administration in July 2025, but most governments continue to withhold recognition. China, India, Iran and Pakistan maintain diplomatic or official channels with the group without extending full recognition. The Moscow Format therefore operates as a venue where engagement proceeds even in the absence of a common position on legitimacy.
Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions Shadow the Agenda
Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions form the most pressing backdrop to the meeting. Relations between Islamabad and the Taliban authorities have deteriorated sharply since the last Moscow Format round. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of harbouring Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an allegation the Taliban deny. The two sides have engaged in repeated clashes since October 2025, including Pakistani airstrikes reported on Thursday that, according to the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, killed and injured civilians. The mission has documented more than 1,100 civilian casualties from cross-border attacks in Afghanistan so far in 2026.
Several regional states have voiced concern over the presence and activities of militant groups in Afghanistan, which they regard as a threat to their own security. Pakistan is among the countries expected to be represented in Moscow, so the gathering will place Islamabad and a Taliban delegation in the same diplomatic setting at a time of active hostilities.
Limits of the Format
Some regional media have noted that the influence of the Moscow Format is constrained by the absence of Western powers and by the Taliban’s continued international isolation. Whether the joint statement expected on Oct. 5 addresses cross-border militancy, and whether it reflects the concerns of all participants, will indicate how far the platform can bridge divisions among the states involved.
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