US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saw unity in the international community’s broader approach to acceptance of Afghanistan‘s new Taliban government as he held separate discussions with diplomats of four UNSC members and Pakistan, the key Afghan strategic neighbor that lies at the center of global interests in Central Asia, South Asia, and the Gulf.
“I think there is very strong unity of approach and unity of purpose,” Blinken told reporters after a series of meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. He had his first meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
“The Taliban says that it seeks legitimacy, that it seeks support from the international community. The relationship that it has with the international community is going to be defined by the actions it takes,” Blinken noted.
In discussions with the Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi, Washington’s highest diplomat relayed US emphasis on key expectations from the Taliban – allowing Afghans and foreigners to leave, respecting the rights of women, girls, and the country’s minorities, and not letting extremists such as al Qaeda use Afghan soil for terrorism.
Pakistan is considered central to efforts to stabilize Afghanistan after the US withdrawal as it has ties to the Afghan Taliban dating back to decades after the conservative group emerged in the midst of civil unrest in Afghanistan in the wake of the Soviet Union’s exit after a bloody decade-long invasion of the country.
Prior to their first face-to-face meeting, the American and Pakistani diplomats in New York. they had several phone calls as the US pulled out its troops and civilians amid a chaotic environment at the Kabul airport and a power vacuum created by Afghan forces’ surrender and former president Ashraf Ghani’s fleeing the country.
In his brief remarks at the meeting, Blinken said at the meeting with Qureshi that he was “very pleased to be meeting with my friend and counterpart from Pakistan.”
“We’ve had many opportunities to speak on the phone these many months, but finally now an opportunity (inaudible) at the UN General Assembly to see each other in person.”
Secretary Blinken noted that the meeting had a lot to focus on, “starting with Afghanistan and the importance of our countries working together and going forward on Afghanistan.”
Blinken appreciated the work that Pakistan has done to facilitate the departure of American citizens who wish to leave as well as others.
He said the two countries had also interests in discussions on their “own bilateral relationship, including the economic relationship between our countries and working in the region as a whole.”
According to a Pakistani embassy statement, Foreign Minister Qureshi underscore that close engagement between Pakistan and the United States had always been mutually beneficial and a factor for stability in South Asia.
He reiterated Pakistan’s desire for a “balanced relationship with the United States that was anchored in trade, investment, energy, and regional connectivity.”
He reaffirmed that Islamabad will facilitate efforts for an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan.
He stressed that “only a stable and broad-based government in Afghanistan, which reflects its diversity and preserves the gains made by the country since 2001, would be able to ensure that Afghan territory is never exploited by transnational terrorist groups ever again.”
Qureshi said a new political reality had emerged in Afghanistan and while the Taliban should be held to their commitments, the international community has a “moral obligation to help the Afghan people deal with the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.”
He hoped that the world would not repeat the mistake of disengaging with Afghanistan.
He also raised the Kashmir issue at the meeting and the grave human rights situation in Indian controlled part of Jammu and Kashmir, and underscored the importance of resolving the Kashmir dispute for lasting peace, and stability in South Asia.
