The US and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have concluded their two-day talks in the Qatari capital Doha as the US has still its sanctions on the Taliban in place and Afghanistan is going through probably the biggest humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s delegation was led by the acting foreign minister Amir Khan Motaqi while US special representative for Afghanistan Thomas West was leading the American delegation.
Both sides talked over humanitarian issues, ensuring safe passage to foreigners and Afghans by the Taliban, and counterterrorism while the Taliban officials asked their US counterparts in Doha to unfreeze Afghanistan’s reserves.
Spokesperson of Afghanistan foreign ministry Abdul Qahar Balkhi in a Twitter post asked the US to unconditionally release over $9.5 billion, remove the Taliban leaders from the blacklist, and disconnect humanitarian issues from political.
The special representative Thomas West pledged to be supporting the UN’s and other humanitarian groups’ efforts in Afghanistan and acknowledged that the US is committed to ensuring the US sanctions do not limit the Afghans’ ability to receive humanitarian aids.
In the meantime, the US is still steadfast on its sanctions on the Taliban leaders and the frozen reserves of Afghanistan.
The US has also appreciated the move of the Taliban over reopening schools for girls but asked the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to take action in this regard and ensure the human rights and rights of minorities.
The talks have been welcomed by the people of Afghanistan as they are hopeful about the engagement of the US with Afghanistan that will lead to recognition and ultimately the release of Afghanistan’s assets.
