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Thomas West says Afghanistan is still a priority for Washington
The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West says Washington has not forgotten Afghanistan but that the Islamic Emirate (IEA) needs to fulfil its commitments in order to be recognized as the legitimate government by the international community.
In an interview with Ariana News, West said the leaders of the Islamic Emirate can gain global legitimacy by fulfilling their obligations including allowing women to work and all girls to go to school.
West said that it would be difficult for IEA leaders to gain legitimacy unless the leaders of the caretaker government in Afghanistan change their ways.
“I do not think that with the behavior of the Taliban (IEA), they will gain legitimacy; the Taliban (IEA) will have the opportunity to gain legitimacy by implementing their commitments step-by-step, but the United States will follow a regular process; although the talks are officially stopped, but contacts with the Taliban (IEA) continue,” West said.
The US diplomat called on the leaders of the Islamic Emirate to allow girls of all ages to go to school and women to work, and said that if the heads of the caretaker government did so, they would take a step towards global legitimacy.
“Contrary to their commitments, the Taliban (IEA) did not allow girls to go to school, but they still have a chance. Our hopes have not been completely dashed; Taliban (IEA) leaders pledged to us at the China summit, and we still hope they let girls go to school and women work,” West added.
Asked if the issue of Afghanistan is a priority for the United States and the international community, West said: “Yes, Afghanistan is still a priority for the United States, and the US leadership is still paying attention to Afghanistan. No, Afghanistan has not been forgotten, even the issue of Afghanistan is a priority for us over Ukraine.”
He also said the US military presence in Afghanistan over the past 20 years managed to defeat and destroy terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda.
A 13-member delegation of Afghan traders and industrialists has departed for Iran to strengthen trade and economic ties between the two countries.
The delegation is visiting Iran at the official invitation of the Iran-Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and in coordination with the Afghanistan-Iran Joint Chamber of Commerce.
During the visit, the delegation is scheduled to meet with Iranian economic officials, attend bilateral trade meetings and visit industrial centers across the country.
The visit will also focus on exploring new investment opportunities, expanding joint ventures, exchanging expertise and identifying ways to strengthen economic cooperation between the private sectors of Afghanistan and Iran.
France is holding technical discussions with Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan authorities to facilitate the return of Afghan nationals living in the country without legal immigration status, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has confirmed.
Speaking before the French parliament on Monday, Nunez said Paris was seeking arrangements to return a number of Afghans who are in an irregular immigration situation.
“We are trying to obtain the possibility to return a certain number of Afghans who are in an irregular situation. These are technical discussions,” Nunez told lawmakers, adding that other European countries, including Germany, were pursuing similar arrangements.
The French minister said some Afghan nationals could pose threats to public order and described their deportation as a priority for the government.
According to AFP, France had already begun discussions with IEA authorities in early October to facilitate the deportation of Afghan nationals.
Although France does not officially recognise the Islamic Emirate administration or maintain diplomatic relations with it, Paris has joined around 20 European Union countries, including Germany, Belgium and Sweden, in efforts to accelerate the return of Afghan nationals, particularly those convicted of criminal offences.
However, the discussions have drawn criticism from some French lawmakers and human rights groups.
Lea Balage El Mariky, a lawmaker from the Ecologists party, accused the French government of moving towards normalising relations with an IEA she criticised over restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, a meeting held in Brussels in June between a IEA delegation and representatives from 15 EU countries also faced criticism from human rights organisations and left-wing European lawmakers. The discussions focused on irregular migration and increasing deportations.
In September, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern over what he described as international silence surrounding Afghanistan’s worsening human rights and humanitarian situation, calling for an end to forced returns.
A coordination meeting on economic cooperation between Afghanistan and the Russian Federation was held in Kabul under the chairmanship of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs said that the Ministry of Finance presented a report on the latest meeting of the Afghanistan-Russia Joint Economic Commission.
According to the statement, a plan to advance the commission’s work has been prepared and submitted to the office of the leader of the Islamic Emirate for final approval. It added that an economic cooperation document, prepared with the Russian side on the sidelines of the recent
Kazan Forum in Tatarstan, has been finalized and is expected to be signed with the Russian Federation in the near future.
The meeting also discussed ways to implement the decisions of the latest session of the Joint Economic Commission, as well as investment opportunities and priorities in infrastructure, trade, electricity, transport, mining, higher education, agriculture, irrigation, livestock, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, business visa issuance, telecommunications and information technology.
Participants also reviewed and identified investment opportunities and priorities in these sectors.
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