A United Nations Security Council committee has approved Amir Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister of the Taliban government, to meet with the foreign ministers and ambassadors of Pakistan and China.
Next Monday, Muttaqi will fly from Afghanistan to Pakistan’s neighbor for the conference.
Due to sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, the Afghan minister had been subject to a travel ban, an arms embargo, and an asset freeze for a long time.
In a statement to the 15-member Security Council committee tasked with enforcing sanctions against the Taliban, Pakistan’s UN mission said that Muttaqi needed to travel between May 6 and May 9 “for a meeting with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and China.”
As part of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure project, which is a component of the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese and Pakistani officials both previously stated that they would welcome a Taliban-led Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has undiscovered natural resources worth billions of dollars and is strategically located on a trade and transit route connecting South and Central Asia. In August 2021, the Taliban took over when US-led forces retreated following 20 years of conflict.
A meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighbors took place in Uzbekistan last month, and Muttaqi was permitted by the Security Council committee to attend. The meeting was to examine critical issues relating to peace, security, and stability.
“UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres began a two-day meeting on Monday in Doha with special envoys on Afghanistan from various countries that aims to achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
