Countries allied with Russia and China prepare for a series of meetings on Afghanistan, held in the crisis-hit country's neighbour, Tajikistan. Moscow and Beijing have moved to assert themselves as key players in the region, after the United States' hasty retreat from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country. Afghanistan holds observer status at the SCO, but Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov says that the Taliban have not been invited to observe proceedings in Dushanbe. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES