On 18 September 2000, at the Second Meeting of the "Six plus Two" held at the foreign minister level, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan reiterated that "Six plus Two" Group remained essential forum for solution of Afghan question because it "enabled us to address the serious situation that had developed in Afghanistan and the surrounding region in the aftermath of the fall of Mazar-e-Sharif and the murder of Iranian diplomats".[4]