Afghan FM demands world’s cooperation

Picture source - AP

Afghanistan’s interim foreign minister, Amir Khan Mutaqi, has once again called on the world to lift sanctions on the country and expressed his intention to work with all nations, including the United States.

In a column published in Al Jazeera, Amir Khan Mutaqi did not talk about contentious issues such as respect for Afghan rights, lifting restrictions on women’s access to education and work, and taking action against terrorist organizations operating outside Afghanistan.

Since coming to power in August 2021, the Afghan Taliban have repeatedly urged the world to recognize their government and lift economic sanctions to help the millions of Afghans who the United Nations often describe as a “humanitarian crisis”.

In his article, the Taliban minister acknowledged the crisis in the country and blamed sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries for it.

He said that the main reason for the current economic crisis in Afghanistan is the imposition of sanctions and banking sanctions by the United States. They hinder and delay our efforts to deal with the humanitarian crisis.

“What moral and political justification can the US have for imposing severe sanctions on the war-torn country?” he asked.

He added that during the last two decades, the Afghan economy was “completely dependent on foreign aid” and now with the end of aid inflows, there is a need to “meet the basic and most important needs of the Afghan people”.

He also “reminded” the US and other countries that sanctions and pressure do not resolve differences.

He added that the international community needs to establish political and economic relations with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan while respecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He said that if the government in Afghanistan fails due to these sanctions, it will result in serious consequences not only for the country but for the whole of Dina.

“With a situation like this, there will be a great humanitarian tragedy that will not be limited to Afghanistan alone, but will start new and unexpected difficulties for our neighbors, the region, and the world,” he claimed.

While the Afghan minister urged the world to make concessions and work together, his article did not indicate what his government would do to address the concerns of world powers.

There was not a single mention of women’s access to education or allowing them to work in her nearly 1,350-word article.

The closest mention of these issues, he said, was that the country’s “internal affairs” have often been “misunderstood or misunderstood”.

“The religious and cultural sensibilities of our society require a cautious approach, any government that has not maintained a proper balance about such sensitivities has ultimately faced severe difficulties, a lesson that our recent history has repeatedly emphasized,” he said.

Highlighting the achievements of his government, the minister claimed that work had been done to ensure that the land is not used against other countries while drug cultivation has also been banned.

He said that we are happy and proud of our diverse and rich history, and we do not believe in imposing the will of the majority on the minority, in our view every citizen of the country is an integral part of the collective.