A foreign style government must not be imposed on Afghanistan, and Afghans are capable of forming their government, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Saturday at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.

Muttaqi said efforts are underway to increase inclusivity in the government. 

Muttaqi and his accompanying delegation were invited to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

“Foreign versions (of the government) and foreign ideology must not be imposed on Afghans. The former version of the (government) was tried but it did not succeed,” Muttaqi said.  

Muttaqi said the Islamic Emirate has been attempting to rescue the Afghan economy and there have been several areas of progress, including government actions to prevent economic collapse.  

He suggested that a weak Afghan government would not benefit anyone, and, therefore, efforts to undermine the current government must stop.  

The acting minister once again stressed that the Islamic Emirate has met all conditions for international recognition.  

“I think… the title of the panel is how to cooperate (with) the realities, with the current realities,” said Kamil Aydin, a member of the Turkey’s parliament.  Speaking at the same conference, the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov said that the current situation in Afghanistan has a direct impact on the region.  

“We are interested in stability and security” in Afghanistan, he said.  

The Islamic Emirate took over Afghanistan more than seven months ago but has yet to be recognized by any foreign country.

Note: A quotation from Fatima Gailani (translated from Farsi) has been corrected from an earlier version.

Fatima Gailani, former head of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, said recognition is important but the current government should fulfill the promises it has made so far. “The recognition or the lack of recognition of the Afghan government is not something that is punishing just the Taliban’s government, it is a punishment for the whole of Afghanistan. But who has the key? I agree that the key is in the hand of the present government in Afghanistan. They have to accommodate the people of Afghanistan, men and women, no matter what language we speak -- we all have to see this government as the Afghan government.