Taliban Meet With 16 European Envoys In Qatar
Kabul, Feb 16: A delegation of the Taliban movement (under UN sanctions for terrorism) held a meeting in Qatar’s Doha with representatives of 16 European countries to discuss Afghanistan’s humanitarian and social issues, the Taliban foreign ministry said on Wednesday. “Today [on Wednesday] a senior delegation of the Islamic Emirate [ Afghanistan’s name used by the Taliban], led by Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, held a meeting with envoys of 16 European countries in the Qatari capital of Doha,” the statement read.
The meeting was focused on the economic situation in Afghanistan, human rights, education, humanitarian aid and social issues. From January 23 to January 25, Muttaqi led a Taliban delegation to Norway at Oslo’s invitation. The delegation met with special representatives and envoys from the United States, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Muttaqi described the visit as successful, and the delegation thanked the Norwegian government for its hospitality and contribution to the strengthening of trust.
On January 27, Alexey Zaitsev, the deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Information and Press Department, said that Moscow considers the Oslo meetings as a step toward international recognition of the Taliban. Since the Taliban took over Kabul in August, international organizations have repeatedly warned of the worsening humanitarian situation in the country. The Taliban established an interim government headed by Mohammad Hassan Akhund in early September, but this government has not been internationally recognized. However, some organizations and countries expressed readiness to continue providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
