KABUL (AFP) – The Taliban’s acting prime minister called Wednesday on Muslim nations to be the first to officially recognize the government that seized power in Afghanistan in August.
No country has yet recognized the Taliban will rule this time around after their previous time between 1996 and 2001.
“I call on Muslim countries to take the lead and recognize us officially. Then I hope we will be able to develop quickly,” Mohammad Hassan Akhund told a conference in Kabul to address the country’s massive economic crisis.
“We do not want anyone’s help. We don’t want it for the officials,” Akhund said, referring to diplomatic recognition.
“We want it for our public,” he said, adding that the Taliban had fulfilled all necessary conditions by restoring peace and security.
He blamed the country’s growing economic crisis on the freezing of billions of dollars of its assets during the event, which was also attended by United Nations officials to discuss easing existing financial restrictions on Afghanistan.
“Short-term aid is not the solution; we must try to find a way to solve problems fundamentally,” Akhund said.
Speaking at the news conference, the UN special envoy for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, said Afghanistan’s economic crisis was a serious problem that needed to be addressed by all countries.
“The United Nations is working to revitalize Afghanistan’s economy and fundamentally address Afghanistan’s economic problems,” she said.
Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, who was also present at the event, said the Taliban administration was seeking economic relations with the international community.
“Humanitarian aid is the short-term solution to economic problems; but what is needed to solve problems in the long run is the implementation of infrastructure projects,” he said.
Afghanistan is grappling with its worst humanitarian crisis, as the United States seized nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan Central Bank after the Taliban took power in August 2021. The Taliban have repeatedly called for the release of the assets, but Washington has rebuffed the call.