Taliban leaders will meet with officials from the European Union (EU) and the United States on Tuesday in Doha, as the new Afghan regime seeks to break its diplomatic isolation.
“Tomorrow
(Tuesday)
we will meet the representatives of the EU. We have positive meetings with representatives of other countries, ”
Amir Khan Muttaqi, Acting Taliban Minister of Foreign Affairs, said at a conference in the Qatari capital.
“We want positive relationships with the whole world. We believe in balanced international relations. We believe that such a balanced relationship can save Afghanistan from instability, ”
the official added, according to a live translation of his speech,from Pashtun into English.
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This meeting will take place in Doha and will include representatives of the United States, said EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali, without specifying the number or functions of the European delegates.
“It's an informal exchange, at a technical level. It does not constitute recognition of the
“interim government,” she added. According to her, this exchange should
"allow the United States and Europeans to address issues"
such as freedom of movement for people wishing to leave Afghanistan, access to humanitarian aid, women's rights and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a sanctuary for
"terrorist"
groups
. The EU seeks above all to prevent a
'collapse'
of Afghanistan, declared the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell after a ministerial meeting.
“We can't just watch and wait. We must act, and quickly, ”
he added.
The new Islamist regime, which came to power in Afghanistan in August, has not been recognized by any country.
But faced with the imminence of a serious humanitarian crisis in this country entirely dependent on international aid after twenty years of war, diplomatic maneuvers are increasing.
On Saturday in Doha, the Taliban met with US officials for the first direct talks with Washington since taking power.
Their foreign minister called on the United States to establish
"good relations"
and not
"to weaken the current government in Afghanistan"
.
Read alsoAfghanistan: recognition of the Taliban regime, a burning issue on the G20 menu
After hosting talks between the Taliban and the United States for years, Qatar continues to play an essential mediating role between the Islamist movement and the Western chancelleries. Last week, senior Taliban officials received the British envoy to Afghanistan, Simon Gass, in Kabul. And a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry told AFP that a delegation from his country had met
"senior Taliban representatives in Doha" on
Monday
. The issues of security, terrorist threats and human rights were discussed
"in a professional atmosphere"
, he added.
Amir Khan Muttaqi also assured that the Taliban were able to have
"control"
over the challenge posed by the Islamic State group, which has recently increased the attacks in Afghanistan.
"We have a lot of positive results (...) all their attempts have been 98% neutralized and we are well prepared for the future,"
said the Taliban minister.
The United States and the United Kingdom on Monday asked their nationals to avoid hotels in Kabul, alarming a security threat, without specifying the content.
Amir Khan Muttaqi also pledged to prevent terrorist attacks against foreign countries from being fomented from Afghan soil.
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The United States invaded the country in 2001 and brought down the Taliban regime, in response to the September 11 attacks planned by Al Qaeda from Afghanistan, then controlled by the Taliban. American troops withdrew on August 30, following an agreement with the Taliban, which returned to power in mid-August. Since then, the Islamist movement has shown a white footing in the hope of forging relations with foreign powers, especially Western ones. The latter insist on the need to respect human rights, in particular those of women, the Taliban having imposed a brutal regime during their previous reign. If the boys were allowed to return to the school benches three weeks ago, the girls were asked to stay at home as well as the teachers.
Amir Khan Muttaqi justified the exclusion of girls from schools by the closures linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The reopening of schools has already started,"
he said.
On Monday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres denounced broken promises by the Taliban to women and girls.
He urged them to
"fulfill their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law."
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