Norwegian Chargé d’affaires meets Muttaqi

KABUL (Khaama Press): Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with the Norwegian chargé d’affaires to Afghanistan to discuss Afghan security, humanitarian aid, and development cooperation.
The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar state news agency, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister met with top Norwegian diplomats in Kabul, the Afghan capital.
The discussion at the meeting, according to the Bakhtar report, focused on topics related to Afghanistan’s security, international cooperation, and other political matters.
A long-term diplomatic relationship between Norway and Afghanistan would continue, the Norwegian diplomat said, adding that his country actively tries to support the people of Afghanistan.
“Norway is now providing NOK 220 million to the UN and the World Bank to support their efforts to enhance food security and ensure the provision of basic services such as health and education,” said the Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt in a statement on November 16.
The economic catastrophe and the humanitarian predicament have both been aggravated by the Taliban’s return to power. Many Afghans are living in poverty, face food insecurity, and lack access to essential services.
The Afghan people are coping with the collapse of their economy, rising humanitarian needs, and limitations on their rights. In the current dire humanitarian situation, women and children are particularly vulnerable.
This comes as the Chargé d’affaires of the British Embassy in Afghanistan previously said that there are no sanctions that directly affect the Afghan people. He claimed that despite an increase in aid since the Taliban’s takeover, the group is unable to handle the humanitarian crisis and invokes sanctions as excuses.
“It is convenient for some (the Taliban) to blame all the challenges facing Afghanistan today on sanctions, but this is not the reality. It’s vital to move beyond this misleading narrative & urgently address the real problems together,” Shorter wrote on Twitter.