Afghanistan’s Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on Wednesday met with Japan’s Ambassador to Kabul Takashi Okada, and discussed key economic challenges the country is currently faced with.
During the visit, the Acting Interior Minister said that imposing sanctions would not be in the interest of anyone. Problems could be addressed through dialogue, and solutions could be sought accordingly.
While praising the Japanese government’s long-standing assistance with the people of Afghanistan, Haqqani said that economic sanctions and banking restrictions have already harmed the people of Afghanistan to a great extent.
“Sanction policy does not benefit anyone, only dialogue and meaningful engagements can solve problems. Unfortunately, the world is punishing the common people and the current regime with its political agendas,” Haqqani said.
This comes as the European Union considers introducing a new set of sanctions on the Taliban authorities accused of violating fundamental human rights through their repressive policies against women and girls in Afghanistan.
For his part, Ambassador Okada once again asked the Afghan Interim Government to lift the bans and allow girls to access education as the new academic year begins in a month’s time. He also expressed his thoughts about Japan’s commitment to the economic development of Afghanistan and the continuation of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
Currently, Afghanistan is plagued with a dire economic and humanitarian crisis with almost zero foreign investment. The Taliban-run administration is heavily relying on international humanitarian aid to help the most vulnerable families across the country.
Japan is one of the few countries which has maintained good relations with Afghanistan’s de facto regime, and continued delivering life-saving aid to the people of Afghanistan during these difficult times. Japan reopened its diplomatic mission in Kabul months after the Taliban seized power in August 2021.
