Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi asked Turkey to utilize its resources to “play an active role in restoring Afghanistan.”
Muttaqi is on an official visit to Turkey, leading a Taliban delegation, as Afghanistan’s new government continues its diplomatic push for support. He met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu where they discussed bilateral issues and cooperation on the future of Afghanistan. The official recognition of the Taliban and Afghan assets blocked by the United States were also discussed.
Muttaqi questions America’s decision to freeze Afghan assets
The Afghan Foreign Minister said the decision of US to freeze reserves after the Taliban’s takeover is actually a violation of international law and human rights. He insisted that the funds blocked by the US were donated by different countries for the development of Afghanistan.
“The real question is why was this money blocked? What did the citizens of Afghanistan do?” asked rhetorically. “On the other hand, the US and other countries say that humanitarian aid should be given to Afghanistan and human rights should be respected. But, they leave the Afghan people with a population of about 40 million without basic necessities.”
The World Bank halted funds to Afghanistan after the Taliban swept back to power in August.
Recognition of Taliban government
Muttaqi also urged the international community to recognize the Taliban government, saying that if the world can recognize other states “some of which have been achieved by force, coup or elections in which one person or family is dominant. Why are these recognized but the government in Afghanistan remains to be a de facto state?”
In an interview with a news agency on Thursday, Muttaqi said the official recognition of the Taliban government and humanitarian aid from global players can play a key role in the recovery of the war-torn country’s economy.
Commenting on the over $1 billion humanitarian promised by the EU at the Geneva Conference, Muttaqi said, “This reveals the cooperation of the countries of the world with us. The relations with us are getting better day by day. It has a positive impact on the field.”
Turkey urges engagement with Taliban
Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu urged the international community to help the Taliban government overcome the current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
“We have told the international community about the importance of engagement with the current Taliban administration,” Cavusoglu said after closed-door talks with the Taliban delegation.
He, however, clarified that this does not imply formal recognition of the Taliban government. “In fact, recognition and engagement are two different things,” said the Turkish minister.