Even as the recent round of peace talks on Afghanistan continue between the Afghan Taliban and the US, there is a growing realization within and amongst Afghanistan’s immediate neighbors (Pakistan, Iran, Russia, China, and the Central Asian nations) that the region can no longer solely depend on the international community, and that it is time for them to take ownership of the region and fend for themselves by overcoming their differences, build positive relations and a common vision for the region, and more so, for Afghanistan.
While Pakistan, Iran, China and the Central Asian states have already been playing an instrumental role in the Afghan peace process through several track two initiatives, more recently, Moscow too has become active, as one has seen in the Moscow Format talks in November 2018, as well as recent intra Afghan talks in Moscow in February 2019.
