At Doha meeting, IEA delegation says policy differences are ‘natural’, urges lifting of sanctions

Addressing the third UN-sponsored international meeting on Afghanistan in Doha, the delegation of the Islamic Emirate said on Saturday that differences between countries regarding each other’s policies are “natural” and that the international community should lift the sanctions imposed on Afghanistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, who heads the delegation at the Doha meeting, said at the inauguration of the meeting that the process of easing sanctions is “slow-paced” and this has created various challenges for the government and the private sector.

“Afghans, who have been suffering from war and insecurity as a result of foreign invasions and interference for almost half a century, ultimately, gained independence, ended the war and built a system aimed at fostering positive engagement with the world, however, in return they faced sanctions and restrictions,” Mujahid said.

He admitted that some countries have “problems” with some of the measures of the Islamic Emirates, but added that policy differences between states are “natural.”

“The policy differences should not escalate to the extent that powerful countries use their leverage to impose security, political, and economic pressures on our people, affecting the lives of our nation in a significant way,” he said.

Mujahid pointed out that despite the sanctions, the Islamic Emirate banned the cultivation, processing and smuggling of poppy that affected the world.

He also said that those who are directly involved in atrocities in Gaza “lack the moral standing to lecture us on human rights.”

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