Bangladesh ready to work with 'people’s government' in Afghanistan

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - The Bangladeshi foreign minister has said that his country would welcome a new Taliban-led government in Afghanistan if it is supported by the Afghan people.

“We believe in people’s government, a democratic government ... a government of any country that is supported by its people,” A K Abdul Momen told reporters in the capital Dhaka late Monday.

“If the Taliban form a government and that is a government of the people, our door will certainly remain open for them.”

The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of Afghanistan for the first time in almost 20 years. The Afghan government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad as foreign troops withdrew.

Earlier, a Foreign Ministry statement said: "Bangladesh is carefully observing the fast evolving situation in Afghanistan, which, we believe, may have an impact on the region and beyond."

It added: "Bangladesh believes that a democratic and pluralistic Afghanistan as chosen by its people is the only guarantee of stability and development in the country."

As a fellow member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Afghanistan is an integral part of South Asia and Bangladesh is committed to working with the war-torn country such that the region grows, develops and prospers together, the press release said.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh rejected a US request to provide temporary shelter to people from Afghanistan, saying that the country is already hosting over 1.1 million Rohingya, who fled a brutal Myanmar military crackdown in 2017.

Several countries have started evacuation flights out of Kabul for their diplomats, citizens, and some local Afghan staff.