Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, at the closing of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum said the Islamic Emirate needs to take practical steps, mainly toward an inclusive government, in order to be recognized.
The three-day Antalya Diplomacy Forum ended on Sunday. The forum was held from March 11 to 13 and the theme was "recoding diplomacy."
Cavusoglu said the Islamic Emirate’s recognition was also a topic at the forum. “We focused on the importance of recognition for the Afghan people. Without recognition many of the problems will not be resolved. There are lots of different types of humanitarian assistance and help initiatives, but without recognition they will not be able to overcome the obstacles,” he said.
He added that so far, the Islamic Emirate has made positive messages and announcements, but those have not been put into practice. He said the current government authorities in Kabul should take practical steps to be recognized. Cavusoglu said his country has been engaging with the Islamic Emirate, but it is in no rush to recognize it. “We are not in a rush to recognize them, because just like the rest of the world, we need to see the steps tangibly being taken,” he said.
From Afghanistan, a delegation led by acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attended the Antalya forum. Muttaqi spoke about the situation in Afghanistan, and he met many countries’ officials on the sidelines.
On Sunday, Muttaqi met with Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and discussed trade and economic relations between the two countries as well as future relations between Afghanistan and Central Asia.
“Minister Muttaqi stressed that regional countries in a fast transforming political, economic and security environment should increase confidence in each other to save the region from repercussions of political changes,” the Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.
The Islamic Emirate said the forum was a good opportunity and the attendance of its delegation was a step forward towards recognition. “These meetings are in our benefit. Steps are being taken for understanding and trust-building which will lead to recognition,” Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Meanwhile, some international relations analysts said despite international forums and talks on Afghanistan, resolving domestic challenges are also of high importance. “International meetings without having domestic challenges resolved do not seem to produce good achievements,” Sayed Javad Sajjadi, an international relations analyst said.
The Ukraine crisis was the spotlight in the Antalya forum, but Afghanistan was also discussed in one of the panels.
Comment this post