Taliban delegation to Norway for dialogue The EU mission in Afghanistan will resume its small presence

Beijing, 22 Jan (Xinhua) -- According to a news released by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and the Afghan Taliban Provisional Government on 21 January, a delegation from the Taliban will hold dialogues with representatives of The Norwegian governments in Oslo, the capital of Norway, from 23 to 25 January, to discuss the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and other topics.

The European Union announced on the same day that it was resuming the "minimum presence" of its mission to Afghanistan.

Norway invited the talks

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the Taliban delegation would speak with representatives of the Norwegian government and "several allies" of the Norwegian government and the Norwegian side, as well as with "Afghans from different fields."

The statement did not mention which countries the "several allies" referred to. But according to Norway's "Way of the World", representatives of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union will attend.

In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Afghan Interim Government spokesman Zabiula Mujahid said that The Acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan Interim Government, Amir Khan Mutaji, will lead a delegation to Norway to start "dialogue, talks and understanding" with European countries and to dialogue with U.S. representatives on a number of matters to be resolved, including the thawing of Afghan state funds in the United States.

This will be the first time since the Taliban established the Afghan interim government last September that they have sent representatives to Western countries for dialogue.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Anneken Wittfeldt said in the statement: "These talks do not represent an endorsement of the Taliban's legitimacy or recognition of [its regime], but we must engage in dialogue with the actual regime in this country." ”

"In order to help the Afghan people, the international community and Afghans from different spheres of society must engage in dialogue with the Taliban," she said, and that the Norwegian side had clear expectations of the Taliban, especially in the area of women's schooling and participation in social life.

According to the information previously released by the Norwegian side, a delegation from the Norwegian government visited Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on the 17th to hold dialogues with the Taliban, the United Nations and representatives of the people. The Norwegian delegation consisted of the Norwegian ambassador to Afghanistan and two diplomats.

Norway is not a member of the European Union. Since the Taliban took control of Kabul last August, embassies in Afghanistan, including Norway, have been closed.

The EUROPEAN Union resumed its mission

Abdel Balhi, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Afghan Interim Government, posted a message on social media on the 21st: "After continuous dialogue and agreement with the EU representatives, the EU delegation to Afghanistan officially (re)opened the embassy, stationed in Kabul and effectively began to operate. ”

EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano subsequently issued a statement saying the EU had begun to reset the "minimal presence" of its mission in Afghanistan "to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and monitor the humanitarian situation (in Afghanistan)."

Stano said the EU's resumption of a minimal presence in Afghanistan in no way means "recognition of the (Taliban regime)" and that "this has been clearly conveyed to the actual regime [in Afghanistan]."

Acting Prime Minister hassan Ahund of the Afghan Interim Government on the 19th called on the international community to recognize the Taliban government and said that this is for the sake of the Afghan people. (Wu Baoshu)

Source: Xinhua News Agency