National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who leads the eight-nation meeting on the Afghan crisis, said on Wednesday that the recent developments in Afghanistan have important implications not only for the people of that country but also for its neighbors and the whole region, the Press Trust of India reported.

This is the first time that all Central Asian countries, and not just Afghanistan’s immediate land neighbors, are taking part in such a meeting.

India also invited Pakistan and China. However, both states did not attend. China alleged not to be able to do it due to its political agenda, but said it is open to dialogue with India on Afghanistan, both multilaterally and bilaterally.

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, said at the meeting that the solution can be found with the creation of an inclusive government and the participation of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan.

In turn, Tajikistan’s Security Council Secretary Nasrullo Rahmatjon Mahmudzoda said they share a long border with Afghanistan so the current situation creates an additional risk and possibilities for drug trafficking and terrorism.

Mahmudzoda noted that his country is willing to participate in all programs that can help the Afghan people. Meanwhile, the secretary of the Kyrgyz Security Council, Marat M. Imankulov, said that the situation is very difficult in the region and in the whole world.

The Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, said that multilateral meetings can help establish a long-lasting peace in Afghanistan and praised the role of the regional dialogue mechanisms in dealing with the political situation in that country.

For his part, Marat Imankulov of the Kyrgyz Republic spoke about the possibility of terrorism spreading from Afghanistan and noted that aid to the Afghan people should be expanded.

pgh/etc/oda/abm