The US says no foreign government is considering recognizing the Taliban administration in Afghanistan, despite the fact that the group will complete a year in power in Kabul next month.
“Some countries are beginning a very slow process of normalization of relations. No one is talking about formal recognition,” Donald Lu, US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, said in an interview with VOA.
“I think there’s actually a global consensus to include Moscow and Beijing and Iran, that it’s too early to look at recognition,” Lu added.
The American official emphasized that international talks were instead concentrated on trying to engage the Taliban in ways that could potentially improve the security and conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan.
“It’s critical that all of us work together to try to encourage the Taliban onto a constructive path,” Lu said.
After nearly two decades of foreign military engagement in Afghanistan, the Taliban took control of the government last August when the United States and its NATO allies withdrew their military troops.
While the Taliban’s all-male administration imposed severe restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, including the mandatory hijab, travel restrictions, gender segregation rules, and the suspension of girls’ schools, the US has made it abundantly clear that no legitimacy and recognition is possible until the Taliban lift their restrictions on women and build an inclusive government.
The Taliban have been in power for almost a year now, but no nation has yet recognized them. Instead, the international community has urged the Taliban to establish their legitimacy by upholding human rights, upholding women’s rights, establishing an inclusive government, and combating terrorism.
