The United States has turned down an invitation to a multinational conference on Afghanistan that Russia plans to host on April 14, according to the AP news agency.
Citing an anonymous State Department official, AP reported on March 24 that the decision not to attend was made because Moscow did not consult Washington before extending the invitation and that the Kremlin did not disclose its objectives for the conference.
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, India, and several Central Asian nations are among the invitees to the Moscow conference, while officials from the Taliban have not been invited, AP said.
Russia held a six-party meeting on peace in Afghanistan in February that was attended by officials from India, China, Iran and Pakistan.
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