PESHAWAR: A day after a number of United States (US) senators called for sanctions against the Taliban and their allies, the Taliban leaders have once again called on the international community to reopen embassies and missions in Kabul.
In this regard, the Taliban hosted a reception for foreign diplomats and political representatives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. It was the first time that the Taliban’s foreign ministry held such a meeting with foreign diplomats. The officials said that it was just an introductory meeting. Addressing the gathering, Amir Khan Mottaki, the deputy foreign minister, said they had treated foreign envoys responsibly during the transitional period.
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A number of countries, including Pakistan, Turkey, China and Russia, have kept their embassies open in Kabul without recognising the Taliban government.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy chief minister, also addressed the gathering and called on all countries to open embassies and political missions. While the Taliban government has not yet been recognised, representatives from Pakistan, China and Qatar often travel to Kabul to meet with Taliban officials. Yesterday, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani called on Qatar’s “friendly countries” not to “isolate” Afghanistan.Earlier, Qatar’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Mutlaq al-Qahtani, said after meetings in Kabul: “The international community must work with the Taliban as they are in power and they cannot be ignored. ”
The Taliban also called for opportunities to address the United Nations General Assembly, naming Sohail Shaheen, a member of the Qatar office, as Afghanistan’s permanent representative to the organization, but no one from Afghanistan was allowed to address the assembly. The international community has set conditions before recognising the Taliban. They are asking the group to protect human rights, especially women’s rights, and establish an inclusive government. The Taliban have promised to fulfill the demands under Islamic law.