Italy pushing for special G20 meeting on Afghanistan as its last evacuation flight leaves Kabul

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (R, front) meets with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L, front) in Rome, Italy, on Aug. 27, 2021. Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 (G20), is still pushing for a special G20 meeting on Afghanistan as its last evacuation flight leaves Kabul on Friday. Lavrov recalled that Russia has kept open a dialogue with the Taliban leaders, together with China and Pakistan, and asked for the possible G20 summit on Afghanistan to be opened to countries that are not members of the group but nonetheless directly affected by the Afghan crisis, such as Pakistan and Iran. (Xinhua)

ROME/BRUSSELS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 (G20), is still pushing for a special G20 meeting on Afghanistan as its last evacuation flight leaves Kabul on Friday.

Italy's last airlift flight, carried out by a military C-130 plane, is expected to land in Rome early on Saturday, bringing back "all the Italians who asked to be repatriated," Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said.

The minister confirmed that some 4,900 Afghan nationals who wanted to leave the Asian country have been evacuated by Italian forces during the operation.

At a joint press conference held here on Friday after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Di Maio reiterated the country's plan to hold an extraordinary G20 summit on Afghanistan in September to outline a global strategy.

"Afghanistan has been at the core of our talks today... in this context, we see the dialogue with Russia as essential," Di Maio explained.

He added that Italy's push to organize a special G20 meeting on Afghanistan stemmed from the belief that only "a comprehensive, coherent and shared action can be effective with the new authorities in Kabul."

"We believe Moscow is a key player in dealing with the current crisis and, in a longer perspective, in achieving a unified international approach," he noted.

"We deem that the G20 could be the right platform for a common management of the crisis, which has to be shared with the countries that will bear the largest migrant influx, that is the neighbouring countries."

NEIGHBORS' CONCERNS OVER BORDER SECURITY

Lavrov, who paid a two-day visit in Italy, said that the security of Afghanistan's neighbouring countries should be a key priority after all evacuation operations are completed.

He also urged for speeding up support for the Afghan people in order to facilitate the formation of an inclusive executive as soon as possible.

"Common solutions are never easy and, in our opinion, the most important thing in the current situation is the security of our borders," said the top Russian diplomat, who also discussed the issue with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi earlier in the day.

Russia is ready to discuss the proposal of the G20 special summit, but "we want to better understand what role our Western partners would see for Russia in the G20 context," Lavrov said.

Lavrov recalled that Russia has kept open a dialogue with the Taliban leaders, together with China and Pakistan, and asked for the possible G20 summit on Afghanistan to be opened to countries that are not members of the group but nonetheless directly affected by the Afghan crisis, such as Pakistan and Iran.

EU CONDEMNS "BARBARIC" ATTACK

Two suicide bomb attacks rocked the Kabul airport on Thursday, killing at least 103 people, including 13 U.S. service members, while injuring 158 others.

Condemning "the cowardly and inhuman attacks," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter late Thursday that: "The international community must work closely together to avoid a resurgence of terrorism in Afghanistan and beyond."

European Council President Charles Michel voiced his concern about the explosion, saying his thoughts were with the victims and their families. "Securing safe passage to the airport remains vital. We need to ensure the current instability cannot give rise to a resurgence of terrorism," he tweeted.

Josep Borrell, high representative of the European Union (EU) for foreign affairs and security policy, tweeted: "The EU stands in solidarity with the Afghan citizens. We will continue fighting terrorism together with international partners."

On Friday, David McAllister, Maria Arena and Petras Austrevicius, the chairs of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Delegation for relations with Afghanistan, respectively, strongly condemned the "barbaric" terrorist attack, saying "this barbaric act against innocent people is unforgivable."

In a joint statement, they called upon those in power to hold to account those responsible for the attack, and urged EU member states and partner nations to continue the safe and orderly evacuation of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country.

"We reiterate our call to all sides in Afghanistan to abstain from any form of violence, to put in place an immediate and permanent ceasefire and to pursue peace negotiations. International humanitarian law and basic human rights, in particular the rights of women, girls and minorities must be respected," they said in the statement.