Norway’s foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt said that there is no alternative to dialogues and that there is a need to talk with “those in power in order to help the Afghan people.”
She made the remarks at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum 2022: Afghanistan – Finding a Way Forward, held in Oslo, Norway.
“There is no alternative to the dialogues. We need to talk with those in power in order to help the Afghan people,” Anniken Huitfeldt, Norway’s foreign minister, told the Nobel Peace Prize Forum 2022: Afghanistan – Finding a Way Forward, held in Oslo Norway. “For instance, to ensure access for aid workers to all parts of the country. No access means no life-saving assistance.”
However, she expressed frustration over the Islamic Emirate regarding its previous international commitments.
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid suggested that engagement with Kabul is the only way to resolve the problems.
“This issue of engagement with the Islamic Emirate is welcomed and praised. The progress which is possible from engagement is not possible in any other way. The Islamic Emirate is also trying to address the concerns of the international community to the extent that it is possible,” he said.
“They don’t care about the engagement. The issue for them is how can the Taliban ensure their interests. As long as their interests are ensured, their conducts get better,” said Ramazan Bashardost, a political analyst.
Speaking at the same gathering, Filippo Grandi, Commissioner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said that the “Taliban’s recent decision further limiting the rights of women and girls is both morally abhorrent and practically illogical.”
“It is unpalatable for those, many like me, who find the Taliban’s recent decision further limiting the rights of women and girls both morally abhorrent and practically illogical. And yet we have no choice but to engage because the consequences of not engaging are even more unappealing,” he said.
