Taliban urge US to unfreeze Afghan assets, lift sanctions

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – The interim Afghan government on Tuesday urged the US to fulfill its commitments made in the Doha agreement, unfreeze all the assets of Afghanistan unconditionally, and lift economic sanctions.

Assuring that Afghanistan’s territory will not be used against anyone, acting Afghan Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi told an international conference in Uzbekistan: “The security of the region and the world and the security of Afghanistan are connected to each other.”

The central Asian nation is hosting a two-day conference in the capital Tashkent on Afghanistan from Tuesday.

According to a transcript of the acting top diplomat’s speech, Muttaqi said "the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan also expects the US to fulfill its commitments as the first part of the Doha agreement.”

The Taliban administration identifies itself as Islamic Emirate.

“We are fully aware of our responsibility,” Muttaqi asserted, referring to the security of the country.

"The new government was able to establish security in a very short time," he added.

He said Afghanistan suffered from 20 years of war but the country is still under economic sanctions by the US.

“It is one of the main causes of poverty in our country,” he said.

“These activities not only prevented foreign investment and remittances but also hampered the activities of our system, the benefits of which only reach the common people,” he argued.
However, calling for engagement based on mutual respect and legitimate mutual interests, he urged Washington to “release all the assets of Afghanistan unconditionally and remove the economic sanctions imposed on Afghanistan.”

“This is the basic step for normalizing the relationship. This work will have a positive effect on the minds of the people of Afghanistan about America,” he added.

-Economy-driven foreign policy

Referring to “unsuccessful attempts” to disturb security on the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, the acting foreign minister said: “Our security forces conducted an operation against the perpetrators of the incident, some of them were killed and some were arrested.”

“We will not allow ISIS or any other group to use the territory of Afghanistan against another country,” he stressed.
In a report last week, the UN office in Kabul revealed that most of the attacks killing around 700 people and injuring over 1,400 since the US-led foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan last August were carried out by the local branch of the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group.

Muttaqi said the Taliban have issued a general amnesty for all members of the previous administration and a commission is repatriating those who have fled the war-torn country.
All Afghans have the right to live a peaceful life in their homeland, he said.

The top Afghan diplomat said the Taliban administration is “determined to make Afghanistan a center of peace, stability, and economic cooperation.”
“We want stability for both ourselves and the world. Stability of Afghanistan plays an important role in the economic prosperity and development of the region,” he noted.
He said Afghanistan under the Taliban will pursue an economy-driven foreign policy.

“Now the time has come for Afghanistan to practically become the crossroads of Asia. Reliable security, strong political determination, and a transparent administrative system are the factors that help achieve this goal,” he said, arguing how Afghanistan was the closest and cheapest trade route between Central Asia and South Asia.