A Taliban official said recognition is the right of the Afghan people. (file)
Kabul:
The Taliban on Saturday called on the United States and other countries to recognize their government in Afghanistan, saying that failure to do so and continued pooling of Afghan funds abroad would create problems not only for the country but for the world.
No country has formally recognized the Taliban government since the rebels took over the country in August, while billions of dollars in assets and money have been amassed abroad, even in Afghanistan. That the country is facing a serious economic and humanitarian crisis.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters at a news conference on Saturday: “Our message to the United States is that if the non-recognition continues, the Afghan problems continue, it is a problem of the region and could become a problem for the world.” ”
He said the reason the Taliban and the United States went to war last time was also that the two did not have formal diplomatic relations.
The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 after the September 11, 2001, attack after the then Taliban government refused to hand over the head of the terrorist group al-Qaeda Osama bin Laden.
“The issues that led to the war could have been resolved through dialogue, they could also be resolved through political settlement,” the Mujahid said.
He said recognition is the right of the Afghan people.
While no country has recognized the Taliban government, senior officials from several countries have met with the movement’s leadership in Kabul and abroad.
The latest visit was of Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Rasit Meredo, who was in Kabul on Saturday.
Mujahid earlier said on Twitter that the two sides discussed the speedy implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Taliban officials in Qatar earlier this week.
Mujahid said on Saturday that China had promised to finance transportation infrastructure and give Kabul’s exports access to Chinese markets through neighboring Pakistan.
The Mujahid also spoke at length about cross-border issues, particularly with Pakistan, which has seen frequent shutdowns and protests in recent days.
The crossings are important for landlocked Afghanistan. He said serious talks on the matter took place when Pakistan’s foreign minister visited Kabul last week.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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