SecondSince the first time Taliban German diplomats once again travelled to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. As the Taliban spokesperson announced on Thursday, the designated German ambassador Marcus Potzer and the special envoy for Afghanistan Jasparvik met with Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi and Mullah Abdul Gani Baradar. Therefore, the Albanian side advocates the release of funds from the deposed government that has been obstructed by the international community and warns of the impact of the humanitarian crisis in the country. The Taliban posted photos of the meeting on Twitter.
As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that night, the delegation, including the Dutch ambassador, also met with the de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Mutaki and the de facto Secret Service Director Abdul Haq Vasik .
Since the Taliban came to power, their ranks include internationally wanted terrorists, and the German government has been facing the problem of hope to provide humanitarian assistance to prevent the situation from further deteriorating. At the same time, pressure should continue to be put on the Taliban to meet the demands of the international community.
The de facto government authorities in Afghanistan are committed to providing humanitarian workers, including aid workers, safe and unimpeded access to communities and those in need. Germany and the Netherlands reaffirmed their readiness to provide extensive humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, especially for the coming winter.
During the meeting, the Taliban expressed their understanding that “equal access to education for girls and boys is a national necessity in Afghanistan,” the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs said later. Especially with regard to the general right to receive primary and secondary education up to grade 12 and the need for teachers to “be able to perform their extremely important tasks from grade 1 to grade 12.” The school curriculum remains unchanged.
Accordingly, Germany agreed to cooperate with international partners to study ways to directly pay health sector employees and teachers through international organizations.
Commitment to amnesty
It is also said that the Taliban once again promised the amnesty they issued when they came to power. After individual Taliban troops repeatedly attacked former opponents of Islamists, the leadership now agrees that “this message should also be spread more widely within Afghanistan.”
However, the two sides have been in contact for a long time. Potzel served as Germany’s ambassador to Afghanistan from 2014 to 2016 and served as the Federal Government’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan until the summer. He has been negotiating with Taliban representatives from Qatar since the end of August. This also involves the further withdrawal of former local German troops stationed in Afghanistan and other vulnerable Afghans that Germany has pledged to protect.
In addition to the Taliban leaders, the delegation also met with former President Karzai and former Prime Minister Abdullah in Kabul. Both advocate the participation of non-Taliban forces in the government.
This visit does not involve the recognition of the Taliban government or the establishment of formal diplomatic relations. The federal government always points out that it only wants to coordinate such measures with European partners. The issue also concerns the need for inclusive government and protection of women and minorities.
