The 6th Moscow Format Meeting on Afghanistan began on Friday morning. Representatives of Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the Taliban are attending the meeting.

The main part of the meeting will be held behind closed doors. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that "the priority of the meeting will be to discuss the Afghan peace process and expand practical interaction between the governments of the region and Kabul in the political, economic, counter-terrorism and narcotics fields”.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to meet with Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss bilateral cooperation. A joint statement is expected to be issued after the meeting.