Indonesia said the reopening of its embassy does not mean recognition, but it wants to be engaged with the Islamic Emirate.
Indonesia seeks to reopen its diplomatic mission in Afghanistan in the near future, said Abdul Kadir Jailani, Indonesia Foreign Ministry’s director general for Asia Pacific and Africa, on Monday.
“Our goal is to conduct constructive engagement, primarily in the context of humanitarian assistance, including assistance for women, academic scholarship, et cetera,” he said.
Jailani said that the reopening of the embassy does not mean formal recognition of the Islamic Emirate and tbat his country will continue assessing the Islamic Emirate’s commitment to form an inclusive government, observe human rights, and counter terrorism.
“We do hope that the Taliban keeps their words of never letting homegrown terrorism emerge,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said they welcome Indonesia’s move and added that other countries also should reopen their embassies. “We welcome the reopening of world countries’ diplomatic missions and urge other countries to reopen their embassies to improve the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and also to engage with the Islamic Emirate,” he said.
The Indonesian official’s comments follow remarks by French and German officials who recently said their countries are working to send diplomats to Afghanistan to reopen diplomatic missions.
“Diplomatically, countries have a right to open diplomatic missions in any country. The issue of recognition depends on the behavior of the government (Islamic Emirate) and it should take actions to convince the world,” Sayed Haroon Hashimi, a political analyst said.
“Foreign countries should recognize and engage with the current government so it works with the people and provides the context for an inclusive government,” Mohammad Faisal Afzali, a political analyst said.
Recently, France’s President Macron has also said that his country and some other European states are working toward opening a joint mission in Kabul.—Agencies
