Engage directly with Taliban in Afghanistan, Japan tells G-7 nations

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Addressing top diplomats of G-7 nations on Monday, Japan’s foreign minister called for direct engagement with the interim Taliban administration in Afghanistan.

Drawing from Japan’s experience of the situation on the ground, a statement by Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Yoshimasa Hayashi “emphasized the need to engage persistently and directly with the Taliban.”

Japan’s top diplomat was discussing Afghanistan and Central Asia for around an hour with his colleagues from the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the US, plus the EU.

Hayashi called for continuing assistance to the people of Afghanistan in cooperation with the international community.

The Taliban returned to rule Afghanistan in August 2021, after two decades of war with the US and its allies. The Taliban administration has not yet been recognized by the international community, and has drawn more and more criticism for its continuing restrictions of the rights of women and girls.

Afghan foreign reserves amounting to over $7 billion have been blocked by Washington, which has instead announced the Afghan Fund.

Expressing “serious concern” over the “worsening” human rights and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, Hayashi also condemned recent decision by the Taliban that “suppress human rights, including increased restrictions on women’s rights.”

Tokyo’s comments came after the UN said it was being forced to make an “appalling choice” about its presence in Afghanistan as the de facto Taliban administration banned women from working for the organization.

The Taliban have said the ban on women working in Afghanistan was an “internal issue” of the country.

Japan is the current chair of G-7, and a bullet train took an hour to bring the foreign ministers of the world’s seven advanced nations to the resort town of Karuizawa in central Japan on Sunday, for a three-day summit until Tuesday. The town is on high alert, with police personnel deployed around the meeting venue.

A summit of the leaders of G-7 nations is scheduled to take place in Hiroshima next month.