Taliban Foreign Minister, UN Official Discuss Humanitarian Issues
In a phone conversation between Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban government, and Rosemary DiCarlo, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General, topics such as the status of returning refugees, earthquake victims, and humanitarian cooperation were discussed.
According to a statement released by the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi referred to the return of more than two million Afghan refugees and called for the depoliticization of humanitarian issues. He claimed that under Taliban rule, Afghanistan has made progress in various areas, particularly in security and the economy. He also pointed to “growing relations” with regional countries, although he alluded to one unspecified exception—believed to be Pakistan—without naming it directly.
Meanwhile, the UN Under-Secretary-General emphasized the need for a humane approach to returning refugees, stressing that conditions must be created to ensure their dignity is preserved. She added that UN-affiliated agencies will continue their efforts to assist earthquake victims and returnees.
These remarks come at a time when the Taliban government remains unrecognized internationally due to its extremist policies and repressive practices, factors that continue to cast a shadow over humanitarian assistance and international cooperation in Afghanistan.
