OSLO, Jan 24 (Asia Free Press): The first Afghan Taliban delegation, since Fall of Kabul in 2021, on Sunday, visited Europe and began talks with Afghan civil society members on human rights priority, at Soria Moria Hotel, on a snowy hilltop outside Oslo, the capital of Norway, according to Norway Foreign Ministry.
The delegation headed by interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, dedicated the first day of their three-day visit to female activists and journalists, among others, before meeting Western diplomats on Monday and Tuesday, CGTN reported.
During the first day of the conference, the participants underlined that understanding and joint cooperation are the only solutions to find ways in the current situation, according to the interim Afghan government.
The participants listened patiently to each other’s opinions and exchanged views on the current situation in the country, said a brief Taliban statement after the meeting.
The said statement also stressed that all parties also acknowledged that Afghanistan is the shared home of all Afghans and stressed that all Afghans should unite and work together for the political, economic and security stability and prosperity of the country.
In their first visit to Europe, the Taliban will meet Norwegian officials as well as representatives of the U.S., France, the UK, Germany, Italy and the European Union.
Earlier, deputy spokesman of the caretaker government Inamullah Samangani, said the meeting with the U.S. will focus on “the release of Afghan assets, the removal of the blacklists, the recognition of the government and also the resumption and extension of bilateral ties.
The U.S. delegation, led by Special Representative for Afghanistan Tom West, plans to discuss “the formation of a representative political system; responses to the urgent humanitarian and economic crises; security and counterterrorism concerns; and human rights, especially education for girls and women,” according to a statement released by the U.S. State Department.
After the Government shuffling in Afghanistan, the Interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi with other Afghan Taliban dignitaries have extensively visited multiple countries to discuss the ongoing economic crisis and put their attention over there. They are also looking forward to discussing the recognition issue with the world’s top countries, as so far no single country has officially recognized the Taliban-led Afghanistan, where the humanitarian crisis hit high.
