UAE president meets Afghanistan delegation in Abu Dhabi

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Tuesday met with a delegation from Afghanistan led by Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, state news agency WAM reported.

The meeting, which took place at Qasr Al-Shati in Abu Dhabi, included talks on bilateral ties and regional stability.

“The discussions focused on economic and development fields, as well as support for reconstruction and development in Afghanistan,” WAM reported.

The Taliban government took power in August 2021 when the US-backed government collapsed and its leaders fled into exile.

No country has recognized the Taliban government although some, including China, have kept their embassies open and accredited Taliban diplomats.

Beijing has accepted Bilal Karimi, a former Taliban spokesman, as an official envoy to China despite its non-recognition of Afghanistan’s current rulers.

“China hopes that Afghanistan will further respond to the expectations of the international community, building an open and inclusive political framework, implementing moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, resolutely combating all kinds of terrorist forces,” Wang Wenbin, spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said earlier, in explaining Beijing’s acceptance of a Taliban envoy.

India reopened its embassy in Kabul in June 2022, less than a year after it was shut down, and has engaged with the Taliban even though it does not formally recognize the current government.