Taliban Dy PM Baradar meets Iran's special envoy in Kabul, discusses bilateral ties

Deputy PM Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met with Iran's envoy for Afghanistan Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Tolo News reported citing Mohammad Naeem, Islamic Emirate political office spokesman. They discussed political, security, economic and cultural issues, he added. Earlier, Saeed Khatibzade, a spokeswoman for Iran's foreign ministry, said in a statement that the international community is calling for an all-inclusive and accountable administration in Afghanistan and that Iran will never abandon the Afghan people, as the latter do not want Iran to, ANI reported.

Tolo News reported citing the Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying, "acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and acting Commerce Minister Nooraddin Azizi met with Iran's special envoy to Afghanistan Hassan Kazemi Qomi and discussed the economy and the development of trade between countries."

Earlier, Qomi also met with acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and acting Commerce Minister Nooraddin Azizi. Qomi arrived in Kabul on Monday, November 15, to meet with representatives of the Taliban-led temporary Afghan administration.  Reportedly, Baradar was the chief negotiator during talks between the Taliban and the US that paved the way for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, which was completed in late August, two weeks after the Taliban overran Kabul. He was the first senior Taliban official to suggest the possibility of an inclusive government shortly after the Kabul takeover, but such hopes were dashed last week with the formation of an all-male, all-Taliban lineup, according to AP.

US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West meets NSA Ajit Doval 

On November 16, under a global initiative, India and the United States discussed ways to facilitate the movement of people in and out of Afghanistan, as well as efforts to send aid into the war-torn country. According to Arindam Bagchi, Official Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, the discussion took place during US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West's meetings with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. 

West had previously visited Pakistan, where he took part in the extended Troika Plus dialogue in Islamabad, which was also attended by Russia and China. Separately, the Troika Plus participants met with a Taliban delegation led by the regime's interim Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi. West then travelled to Moscow, where he met with Zamir Kabulov, Russia's Special Envoy for Afghanistan, and discussed their common interests in that country.

In August, the Taliban seized over Afghanistan, and the United States halted its 20-year military presence in the nation. Meanwhile, the Taliban rule in Afghanistan has failed to gain recognition after announcing the formation of a government. Aside from China, Pakistan, and a few other nations, the rest of the world is taking a wait-and-see approach, keeping a close check on the outfit's behaviour.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP