Oslo: The Taliban delegation led by Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday began three days of talks in Oslo with Western government officials and Afghan civil society representatives in the midst of a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
Closed meetings took place at a snow-covered hotel in the Norwegian capital.
The first day will see the Taliban representatives meet with women’s rights activists and human rights defenders from Afghanistan and from Afghan Diaspora.
Before the conversation, Deputy Minister of Culture and Taliban information tweeted voice messages he said from Muttaqi, expressing hope for “a full trip with achievement” and thanking Norwegian, a country he hoped would be “a gateway to a positive relationship with Europe.
“The trip was the first time since the Taliban took over the country in August that their representatives had held an official meeting in Europe.
Previously, they traveled to Russia, Iran, Qatar, Pakistan, China and Turkmenistan.
During the conversation, Muttaqi was convinced to suppress the Taliban demand that nearly $ 10 billion was frozen by the United States and other Western countries were released when Afghanistan faced a dangerous humanitarian situation.
The United Nations have succeeded in providing liquidity and enabling new administration to pay for imports, including electricity, but warned that as many as 1 million Afghan children were in hunger danger, and most of 38 million people below the poverty line.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said the Taliban delegation would also meet Afghanistan in Norway, including “women’s leaders, journalists and people who work with, among others, human rights and humanitarian, economic, social and political issues.” “Norway continues to be involved in dialogue with the Taliban to promote human rights, women’s participation in society, and to strengthen humanitarian and economic efforts in Afghanistan in support of the Afghanistan,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
US delegation, led by a special representative for Afghanistan Tom West, plans to discuss “the formation of a representative political system; response to urgent humanitarian and economic crises; security and contratic problems; and human rights, especially education for girls and women, especially , “According to a statement released by the US State Department.
On Friday, Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt emphasized that the visit was “not legitimacy or recognition of the Taliban.
But we must talk to those who in practice regulating the current country.” “We are very worried about the serious situation in Afghanistan,” said Huitfeldt, noting that economic and political conditions have created “full-scale humanitarian disasters for millions of people” facing hunger in the country.
Scandinavian country, home to the Nobel Peace Prize, no stranger to sensitive diplomacy and in the past involved in peaceful efforts in a number of countries, including Mozambique, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Colombia, the Philippines, Israel and the Palestinian and Palestinian region, Syria, Myanmar, Somalia , Sri Lanka and South Sudan.