The warring parties meet in Doha on the second day of a three-day ceasefire to speed up stalled peace talks.
According to the warring parties, negotiators from the Taliban and the Afghan government have met in Qatar after a long pause in peace talks between the two.
The development came on Friday, the second day of a three-day ceasefire announced by the Taliban for the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Fitr.
Negotiations began in September last year to find a way to end decades of war. But talks stalled after a few rounds and violence has escalated since the United States began the final withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan on May 1st.
“The two sides discussed the country’s current situation and emphasized the acceleration of peace talks in Doha,” the negotiating team representing the Afghan government said on Twitter.
Taliban political bureau spokesman Mohammad Naeem posted a similar message on Twitter and added that the two sides had agreed to continue talks after the Eid holiday.
Finding common ground between the two warring sides has been a top priority for Western capitals, particularly Washington, which has announced it will withdraw all U.S. troops in September to end its 20-year military presence in the ‘Afghanistan.
The Taliban refused to attend a conference backed by Washington in Istanbul last month in Istanbul, Turkey, which was being held to try to speed up peace talks. The event was subsequently postponed indefinitely.
