TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Afghanistan's neighbors met in Iran and agreed to deepen regional coordination to address political, economic and security challenges, as well as calling for sanctions on Afghanistan to be lifted. The only absent party? Afghanistan itself.
China, Pakistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan all joined the talks organized by Iran, as did Russia, according to a statement released after the meeting on Sunday.
Afghanistan was invited but decided not to attend. Its Taliban-led government was tight-lipped on the reasons, with the foreign ministry saying only that it would not participate because Afghanistan “currently maintains active engagement with regional countries through existing regional organizations and formats, and has made good progress in this regard.”
The statement from the talks in Iran stressed the importance of maintaining economic and trade ties with Afghanistan to improve living conditions and called for the country’s integration into regional political and economic processes.
The Taliban were isolated after they retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021, but in the past year, they have developed diplomatic ties. They now raise several billion dollars every year in tax revenues to keep the lights on.
However, Afghanistan is still struggling economically. Millions rely on aid for survival, and the struggling economy has been further impacted by the international community not recognizing the Taliban government in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops in 2021. Natural disasters and the flow of Afghans fleeing Pakistan under pressure to return home have underlined Afghanistan’s reliance on foreign aid to meet essential needs.
The countries at the talks also voiced security concerns and pledged cooperation in combating terrorism, drug trafficking and human smuggling, while opposing any foreign military presence in Afghanistan. They underscored the responsibility of the international community to lift sanctions and release Afghanistan’s frozen assets, and urged international organizations to support the dignified return of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries.
The participants backed efforts to reduce tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have been particularly strained, with border clashes killing dozens of civilians, soldiers and suspected militants.
The violence followed explosions in Kabul on Oct. 9 that Afghan authorities blamed on Pakistan. A Qatar-mediated ceasefire has largely held since October, although there have been limited border clashes. The sides failed to reach an overall agreement in November despite three rounds of talks.
Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special representative for Afghanistan, said the Taliban government’s decision to skip the meeting reflected a “lack of political maturity.” Writing on X, Durrani said the move reinforced concerns that the Taliban were unwilling to negotiate, instead adopting an “I don’t accept” stance that he said would do little to resolve serious regional problems.
Mohammad Sadiq, the Pakistani special representative for Afghanistan who attended the talks, wrote on X that the Afghan people had already suffered enough and deserved better.
Only an Afghanistan that does not harbor militants would inspire confidence among neighboring and regional countries to engage meaningfully with Kabul and help unlock the country’s economic and connectivity potential, he wrote.
Participants agreed to hold the next meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries as soon as possible in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and welcomed Pakistan’s offer to host the next round of special envoys’ talks in Islamabad in March.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Afghanistan’s participation in regional integration would serve the interests of both Kabul and its neighbors.
Tehran does not recognize the Taliban government but has handed Afghan diplomatic missions in Iran to its representatives. Iran hosts millions of Afghan refugees as the countries wrangle over shared water resources and efforts to combat drug trafficking.
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Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Elena Becatoros in Athens and Abdul Qahar Afghan in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed to this report.
FILE - Boys stay on a hilltop overlooking Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 15, 2025--
Assent Inc. (Assent), the global leader in supply chain sustainability management, announces Request Manager, the industry’s first AI-native solution that addresses the critical pain point of how suppliers efficiently manage and respond to customer compliance and sustainability requests. Built on the market-leading Assent Sustainability Platform, Request Manager empowers suppliers to deliver accurate, high-quality regulatory data, declarations, and supporting documentation with greater speed and efficiency through a single, streamlined workflow to reduce management effort, lower compliance costs, and mitigate supply chain risk. The solution will launch for new Assent customers in January 2026.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251215595090/en/
Request Manager enables suppliers to manage all customer requests in one centralized location through AI-powered parsing, matching and re-use of verified data, as well as a proactive declaration sharing function that allows suppliers to anticipate customer requests.
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Regulatory frameworks are in constant flux and are becoming increasingly complex. At the same time, manufacturers and distributors face an unsustainable volume of customer requests. Additionally, supplier contracts now include greater obligations that can disqualify those who fall short. Request Manager is Assent’s answer to this industry-wide breaking point: a secure, centralized hub that unifies all compliance and sustainability requests into one streamlined workflow.
Assent research shows that 80% of businesses still rely on email and fragmented spreadsheets to manage the growing volume of compliance requests. The data also revealed manufacturers receive an average of 350 requests per year, while distributors often face thousands, each of which may contain hundreds of part-and-regulation line items that must be interpreted and completed. With each request taking roughly three hours to complete, many manufacturers spend more than 1,000 hours a year on manual compliance and sustainability request management processes.
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With Request Manager, suppliers will be able to:
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Learn more about Request Manager here.
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About Assent
Assent provides the leadingsupply chain sustainability management solutionand is on a mission to become the global platform of record for supply chain sustainability and compliance for manufacturers. Founded in 2010, Assent is the only company that unifies platform, people, and supplier intelligence to future-proof supply chains amid global disruption. Powered by AI, we enable faster, smarter compliance — from risk analysis to automated document review — while delivering unmatched speed, cost efficiency, and confidence. With a proprietary supplier engagement engine and deep regulatory expertise built into our platform and services, Assent helps customers navigate complexity, reduce risk, and accelerate growth.
Assent Launches AI-Native Solution to Address Severe Gaps in Compliance and Sustainability Response Management Processes
