Italy to host 'extraordinary' G20 summit on Afghanistan in coming weeks

After ruling out the possibility of giving formal recognition to the Taliban, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said that the G20 will hold an “extraordinary” summit on Afghanistan in the coming weeks. Italy currently holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 and last week, it held a special meeting of G20 leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA summit in New York.

Emphasising that all necessary conditions were in place, Di Maio, on Sunday, said that a larger summit focussing on the Afghanistan crisis will take place soon. 

“The date has not been determined yet, but an extraordinary G20 summit on Afghanistan will happen in the coming weeks,” Di Maio told the Italian broadcaster Rai3 and informed that the country’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi will chair the meeting. 

The Italian Foreign Minister also said that G20 was committed to combating terrorism and protecting human rights. He said that during the previously held meeting, all members had agreed on strengthening the fight against terrorism, defending human rights and delivering humanitarian aid, especially to women and children. He also emphasised that major powers including Russia, China and Saudi Arabia must participate in the upcoming summit in order to iron out a plan to tackle the exacerbating crisis in Taliban controlled Afghanistan. 

'Recognition of Taliban govt. impossible' 

Rome, on Sunday, ruled out the possibility of recognising the Taliban government arguing that the administration consisted of 17 terrorists. Earlier this month, the Sunni Pashtun insurgent group formed a caretaker government in Afghanistan naming Mullah Hasan Akhund as its head. However, no country, including Pakistan, the UAE Saudi Arabia, have formally recognised the Taliban government yet. 

Addressing reporters, Foreign Minister Di Maio emphasised that the Afghan residents, teetered with health and economic crisis, must receive humanitarian aid. Notably, the Talibs have held trillions of foreign aid on the country’s borders, while hundreds of cash strapped Afghans struggle to make ends meet.

Implying that financial instability could increase exodus to nearby countries, the Italian foreign minister said that they must prevent “Afghanistan from implosion and uncontrolled flow of migrants” that could destabilise the region. 

(Image: AP)