Qatari, French FMs: Considering Recognition of Taliban Government Too Early

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The Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani announced on Monday that his country has urged Taliban rulers to respect women's rights, but that it is too early to recognize their government.

Qatari, French FMs hold a joint press conference

In a joint press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Doha, Al Thani said that the gains of the Afghan people must be preserved, stressing the importance of respecting women and their role in the development process in Afghanistan.

Al-Thani met the Prime Minister of the Taliban government and other senior officials in Kabul on Sunday and said that the Taliban informed Qatari officials of its desire to communicate with the international community and reopen the embassies after their closure following the movement's control of Kabul. He also said that insisting on the issue of recognition at the moment is not useful to anyone and what could be more useful and constructive is engaging with them to make sure that they carry out their commitments.

Qatar's Foreign Minister also affirmed that Doha supports "the achievement of national reconciliation" in Afghanistan, considering it “the only safety valve for Afghanistan's stability in the future.”

The Qatari and French FMs said that the international community is waiting for the Taliban to fulfill its promises and that it is too early to consider the recognition of the new government in Kabul.

French FM speaks

For his part, the French Foreign Minister said that there are inquiries about the Taliban's pledges regarding women’s education and granting them their rights.

Dozens of French nationals have been evacuated from Afghanistan via Doha on Qatari planes, prompting Le Drian to thank the Qatari government.

He confirmed that there were "very few" French nationals still stranded in Afghanistan, saying that they only numbered in the tens. Some 2,800 people were evacuated from Afghanistan by France, including 2,600 Afghans, Le Drian said.

A recount

Doha is hosting the Taliban's political bureau, which oversaw the negotiations with the United States that eventually led to the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. Qatar is also playing the role of mediator between the Taliban and the international community, and many countries, including the United States, have moved their embassies from Kabul to Doha.

The Qatari Foreign Minister, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, had met a number of Afghan officials and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.