KABUL, 10 March, 2021 (TON): Afghanistan is considering an offer from Russia to host dialogue on the stalled Afghan peace process, Kabul said on Tuesday.

The comments came two days after the leaked letter that U.S.’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken proposed to the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani over the stalemate.

Blinken’s letter had included an urgent proposal to help restart discussions between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

“We have received an invitation from the government of the Russian Federation addressed to the leadership of the government of Afghanistan for participation in this conference and are aware about their invitation of other national personalities and political leaders,” Gran Hewad, spokesman to Afghan’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

“We will soon begin consultations on what sort of decision we take on it. We appreciate the efforts of the Russian Federation’s government with regards to peace,” he added.

Alongside Taliban and Afghan government Taliban and Afghan government envoys, the 18 March meeting in Russia will also host delegates from the Afghanistan High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), factional and influential leaders, and representatives from the US, China, and Pakistan.

President Ghani’s administration has not confirmed that if any of the officials would attend the meeting.

Russia’s offer to host the conference comes a week after US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, shared a proposal with key Afghan leaders for the formation of a participatory government.

It is noteworthy that besides Iran and Pakistan, Moscow has been pressing for the pullout of foreign forces from Afghanistan for years. Russia recently hosted two rounds of talks between the Taliban and influential national leaders, besides being a vocal supporter for forming a new government to replace Ghani, whose second term ends after four years.