United States and Europe have urged the Taliban to prevent further increase in human rights violations in Afghanistan and address the humanitarian crisis in the country.
A joint statement published on Thursday said both countries praised the Afghan interim government’s commitments to ensure women’s rights during the Oslo talks.
Special representatives and envoys of the U.S., the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and the United Kingdom met to discuss the situation in Afghanistan in Oslo on Monday.
The Taliban representatives and civil society actors were present at some sessions of the meeting.
The participants said that the Taliban’s appearance to these sessions in no way implies official recognition of the Afghan interim government by the EU or U.S.
A statement published on the Norwegian government’s website reads “envoys and representatives urged the Taliban to do more to stop the alarming increase of human rights violations.
“They include arbitrary detentions (to include recent detentions of women’s rights activists), forced disappearances, media crackdowns, extra-judicial killings, torture and prohibitions on women and girls’ education, employment and freedom to travel without a male escort.’’
Parties addressed the humanitarian crisis in the country and expressed the importance of removing conditions and obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The sides said “an inclusive and representative political system” in Afghanistan was required for the sake of peace and stability.
Participants welcomed the Taliban’s “public pledges” on women’s rights, including those that girls and women would be allowed to start education at schools and universities in March, and would be allowed to work.
The U.S. and Europe reaffirmed their expectations that the Taliban would continue tackling terrorism and drug trafficking, and expressed readiness to provide assistance in restoring Afghan economy.
In August 2021, the Taliban took over Afghanistan as the United States was withdrawing troops after 20-year presence in the country.
In September, the Taliban established an interim government led by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, the former deputy foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Afghanistan in the First Taliban government. (Sputnik/NAN)
