Isolating Taliban will cause more instability, says FM

News Agencies

Doha: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that security and socioeconomic progress in Afghanistan depend on engagement with Taliban.

Addressing a joint press conference after his meeting with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “If we are starting to put conditions and stopping this engagement, we are going to leave a vacuum, and the question is, who is going to fill this vacuum?. 

He said that isolating the Taliban could lead to further instability and urged countries to engage with the movement to address security and socioeconomic concerns in Afghanistan, Al Jazeera reported.

In a tweet about his meeting with German counterpart, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said: “Had pleasure welcoming my colleague @HeikoMaas in Doha where we discussed our bilateral relations, along with our joint responsibility as active partners in the international community’s efforts to protect civilians and achieve peace and security.”

In the press conference, he further said, “We believe that without engagement we cannot reach … real progress on the security front or on the socioeconomic front. He added that recognising the Taliban as the government was not a priority.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs also warned against any rise of “terrorism” after the US withdrawal and called for an inclusive government. “It is our role to always urge them (the Taliban) to have an expanded government that includes all parties and not to exclude any party. 

“During our talks with the Taliban, there was no positive or negative response,” he said, referring to recent talks between Qatar and Afghanistan’s new rulers. He said the Taliban had showed openness towards the idea of an inclusive government.

Foreign Minister of Germany, Heiko Maas, in turn, said he saw “no way around” talking with the Taliban. “I personally believe there is absolutely no way around having talks with the Taliban … because we absolutely cannot afford to have instability in Afghanistan,” he said. 

German Foreign Minister Maas further told reporters his country was willing to help Afghanistan but that international assistance comes with certain prerequisites.

“That would aid terrorism and have a huge negative impact on neighbouring countries.

“We are not looking at questions of formal recognition, but we want to solve the existing problems – regarding the people in Afghanistan, the German citizens, but also the local staff who want to leave the country,” he added.

الشرق

الدوحة: قال سعادة الشيخ محمد بن عبدالرحمن آل ثاني، نائب رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير الخارجية، إن أفغانستان تمر بمرحلة حرجة وعلى طالبان إبداء التعاون في مكافحة الإرهاب، داعياً إلى تشكيل حكومة موسعة في البلاد.

وأوضح سعادته أن “المحادثات بشأن مطار كابل ما زالت مستمرة على مستوى الأمن والتشغيل”.

وأضاف سعادته خلال مؤتمر صحفي مشترك مع وزير الخاريجة الألماني: “موقفنا المشترك مع حلفائنا هو التشجيع على التواصل مع طالبان”.

وشدد سعادته على “ضرورة توحيد الجهود الدولية لحماية المدنيين في أفغانستان”، مؤكداً أهمية المحافظة على الحقوق الأساسية لكافة أطياف الشعب الأفغاني.

وقال: “نتمنى إيجاد توافق وطني والمحافظة على مكتسبات الشعب الأفغاني وحقوقه”.