Direct talks in Doha were facilitated by Qatar
Doha
The Taliban held their first face-to-face talks with a joint EU-US delegation Tuesday in Qatar as the hard-line Islamists pursue their diplomatic push for international support.
Afghanistan’s new rulers are seeking recognition, as well as assistance to avoid a humanitarian disaster, after they returned to power in August following the withdrawal of US troops after 20 years of war. The direct talks in Doha were facilitated by Qatar which has long hosted a Taliban political office.
EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said the meeting would “allow the US and European side to address issues” including free passage for people wanting to leave, access for humanitarian aid, respect for the rights of women and preventing Afghanistan becoming a haven for “terrorist” groups.
“This is an informal exchange at technical level. It does not constitute recognition of the ‘interim government’,” she said.
The Taliban badly need assistance as Afghanistan’s economy is in a parlous state with international aid cut off, food prices rising and unemployment spiking.
The regime, still yet to be recognized as a legitimate government by any other country, is also facing a security threat from the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) group, who have launched a series of deadly attacks.
“We want positive relationships with the whole world,” the Taliban’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said at an earlier event in Qatar.
“We believe in balanced international relations. We believe such a balanced relationship can save Afghanistan from instability,” said Muttaqi, who led the Taliban delegation Saturday for the first in-person talks with US officials since the American pullout.
Ahead of Tuesday’s talks, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc was looking to bolster its direct aid to the Afghan people in an effort to stave off “collapse.”
“We cannot ‘wait and see’. We need to act, and act quickly,” Borrell said after discussions with EU development ministers. The international community is facing a tough balancing act trying to get urgently needed aid to Afghans without endorsing Taliban rule.
G20 leaders were to hold a virtual summit on Tuesday to discuss the humanitarian and security situation following the Taliban takeover.
It was not clear if all the leaders of the G20 economic powers, which include the United States, EU, China, Turkey, Russia and Saudi Arabia among others, would join the meeting organized by Italy.
