The Taliban on Wednesday contacted a delegation from the Dutch foreign ministry in Doha, in its first diplomatic contact with the European nation.
A Taliban spokesman, Mohammad Naeem, said the head of his political office in Doha, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, met with a delegation of Dutch foreign ministry officials to discuss developments in the situation. in Afghanistan, Kabul International Airport operations as well as trips by Afghan nationals and foreigners to the war-ravaged country, according to Afghan television news channel Tolo News.
Days after the United States withdrew the last of its troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban leadership has established contacts with several countries through its political office in Doha.
On Tuesday, Taliban Stanekzai met with India’s ambassador to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, at the Indian embassy in Doha. It was India’s first recognized official contact with the Taliban since its formation in the 1990s.
During the meeting, India raised the issue of the safe return of its citizens still stranded in Afghanistan and the concern that Afghan soil would be used for counter-terrorism activities and India. Stankezai reported that he assured the Indian ambassador that these issues would be treated “positively”.
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On the other hand, negotiations between the Taliban and the leaders of the resistance against the Islamist dress and the elders of the tribe in Panjshir have been successful. The Panjshir Valley has evolved into an epicenter of resistance against the Taliban after the Afghan capital, Kabul, fell to the forts on 15 August. he promised to continue fighting the Taliban.
Meanwhile, the Taliban have reportedly reached a consensus with other Afghan leaders on the formation of a new government in Kabul, under the leadership of Supreme Commander Haibatullah Akhundzada and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
A senior Taliban leader said late last month that there would be no democratic system in Afghanistan because it “has no basis” in the country, stressing that the new regime would impose Shariah law.