Turkish envoy to UN emphasizes gradual engagement with Taliban

NEW YORK

Afghanistan is at an important crossroads, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations Feridun Sinirlioğlu has said in his speech at the Afghanistan session of the U.N. Security Council while emphasizing the need for a gradual engagement policy with the Taliban in this period.

“We believe that gradual engagement with the Taliban is the right approach. We need to communicate with them to see if they will keep their promises. [The Taliban] need to gain our trust by putting their words into action,” he said on Sept. 9.

The Turkish envoy emphasized that an inclusive and representative government is needed for long-term stability in Afghanistan.

Indicating that the Taliban will be taken into account not “by their words but by their actions,” Sinirlioğlu said that the Afghan people need support and solidarity more than ever.

“The interim government in Afghanistan is well aware that it will be held accountable for human rights violations, especially if it violates the rights of women and girls. We should closely monitor developments in this context,” he said. 

U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the U.N. Jeffrey DeLaurentis said that the Taliban was seeking international legitimacy and support. “Our message is clear; it will need to gain legitimacy and support,” he said.

Geng Shuang, the deputy permanent representative of China to the U.N., stated that Afghanistan’s frozen assets should be released. “These assets belong to Afghanistan and should be used for Afghanistan, not as a tool of pressure,” the envoy added.

Russia also supported the call for the release of Afghanistan’s frozen assets.

Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the U.N. Ghulam Isaczai called on the U.N. Security Council not to recognize a non-inclusive government.