To ensure regional security in light of the situation in Afghanistan, the top diplomats from Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan convened a conference on Thursday.

The four nations' foreign ministers met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and spoke on the necessity of working with Afghan authorities to preserve political stability and avert a humanitarian crisis, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The ministers also discussed coordinating initiatives to "counter the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking from the Afghan territory."

Since the Taliban seized control in August 2021, only a select few nations have maintained diplomatic missions in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.

Even though it listed the Taliban as a terror organization in 2003 and never removed the outfit from the list, Moscow tried for years to forge relations with the movement. Senior Taliban officials and delegates from the surrounding nations participated in many rounds of Afghanistan-related negotiations there.

As part of China's ambitions to increase its influence internationally, Beijing has adopted a more prominent position on regional matters pertaining to Afghanistan.

On the sidelines of their meeting on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had separate discussions about a variety of topics, including the situation in Ukraine.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Beijing was prepared to collaborate more closely with Afghanistan's neighbors and the international community for stability, security, prosperity, and development in both the country and the larger region in a statement before to the Uzbekistan summit.

In the statement, China reaffirmed its commitment to respecting Afghanistan's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity as well as the decisions that its citizens have made.It encouraged the United States to honor its promise to Afghanistan by providing the country with unwavering support while it fights terrorism.

Beijing also expressed the hope that Afghanistan's interim administration would keep up its efforts to serve the needs of its citizens and the demands of the international community for an inclusive and open democratic system.

The statement continued, "We hope the interim Afghan administration would respect the fundamental rights and interests of all Afghan people, especially women, children, and all ethnic groups.

Currently, girls are not permitted to continue their education past the sixth grade, and women are not permitted at Afghan universities. Authorities describe the limits on education as a temporary suspension rather than a prohibition, but colleges and universities resumed in March without the female students they had previously had.

In addition, most jobs and public places, like parks, are off-limits to women.

Strong international opposition to the policies has further isolated the nation at a time when its economy has crumbled and a humanitarian catastrophe has gotten worse.

No nation has acknowledged the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government.