G-7 meeting, Held in Cornwall (England) in June this year.PHIL NOBLE / AP
The G-7 foreign ministers on Thursday called on the Taliban regime to "guarantee the safe transit" of all foreign nationals and Afghan collaborators from allied countries who wish to leave the country.
The request is included in the statement at the end of a meeting held by videoconference, which was chaired by the head of British diplomacy, Dominic Raab.
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The foreign ministers of Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy and Japan, as well as the high representative of the European Union and the British host as president of the G-7, addressed the "seriousness of the situation", with the sum of deaths and displaced people that has increased since the withdrawal of allied troops, the flight of the Afghan government and the return of Taliban power to Kabul just on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Islamist attack on the Twin Towers in New York and other US enclaves.
The attendees supported the declaration of the UN Security Council that, at its emergency meeting on August 16, called for the “cessation of all hostilities and the establishment, through inclusive negotiations, of a new government” in Kabul, which is "Unitary, inclusive and representative". International leaders highlighted in the same press release the requirement that the new Afghan power include "the full, equitable and meaningful participation of women."
The foreign representatives of the G-7 affirmed this Thursday the commitment of their governments to "negotiations including the future of Afghanistan and the need to respect international humanitarian law." At this point they underlined the need to protect "medical and humanitarian personnel, interpreters" and other collaborators of the allies. And they expressed concern about reports that "violent reprisals" are taking place in some areas of the territory occupied by the Taliban and demanded protection for the entire civilian population.
"The Taliban must ensure that Afghanistan does not become" the patron and headquarters of a "terrorist threat to international security," according to the ministers in the final statement.
The creation of safe settlement routes for Afghan refugees was also addressed in the videoconference, as well as the urgency of agreeing on an international strategy with political principles and the humanitarian aid required within the country and in the Asian region.
This proposal, which London applied during the war in Syria, will now be extended to cover a maximum of 20,000 vulnerable Afghans that the Johnson government will host "over the years."
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The Foreign Meeting served as a prelude to the virtual meeting of G-7 leaders, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to chair next week in his role as rotating president of the club of strong world economies, plus the EU.
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