OSLO FORUM - INTERNATIONAL
News: In a first, India and Pakistan special
envoys participate in Western talks with Taliban in Norway
What's in the news?
● Taliban representatives
met with Indian and Pakistani special envoys and officials amongst a number of
international diplomats this week, in an effort by the Norwegian Government to
break the impasse in talks on the sidelines of a peace conference in Oslo.
Key takeaways:
● Organizers
reject criticism of Oslo by activists claiming it legitimizes the insurgent
group.
Oslo Forum:
● The
Oslo Forum is a series of retreats for
international conflict mediators, high-level decision-makers, and other peace
process actors.
Hosted by:
● The
Forum is co-hosted by the Royal Norwegian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue
(HD).
● All
discussions are confidential and take place under the Chatham House Rule.
○ Chatham
House (UK) is an independent policy institute and a forum for debate and
dialogue.
Features:
● It
provides a discrete and informal space to reflect on current mediation
practice, collaborate across institutional and conceptual divides and advance
negotiations.
India and Pakistan:
● This
is the first time India and Pakistan
were invited to a European country for the talks.