The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the United States could reopen its embassy in Kabul and maintain a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, as the Taliban seeks to improve ties with Washington and reduce the country’s international isolation.
In an interview with The New York Times, published Friday, Aug. 14, Muttaqi said the Taliban wants to begin a new chapter in relations with the United States based on “mutual respect and positive engagement.”
He also called on the United States to invest in Afghanistan’s vast mineral resources, dams and roads. The projects include infrastructure that the United States and its allies spent billions of dollars developing during two decades of war.
“The era of war is over,” Muttaqi said, according to The New York Times.
Muttaqi said the Taliban does not want a U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, adding that Afghans would not accept the military presence of another country on Afghan soil.
The Taliban’s outreach to Washington comes as the group seeks to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties with other countries. The Taliban has expanded trade relations with Central Asian nations and signed a defense cooperation agreement with Russia, according to the report.
But Washington has so far rejected the prospect of normalizing relations with the Taliban.
The U.S. State Department told The New York Times that the Taliban has failed to make Afghanistan more stable and has not fulfilled its commitments to combat terrorism. The department said the United States would engage with the Taliban only when doing so serves the interests of the American people.
Muttaqi also said the Taliban is continuing talks with European countries over migration, including discussions with Germany and France.
A five-member Taliban delegation met in Brussels in June with more than 20 diplomats from 15 European Union member states, according to The New York Times. The discussions focused on the return of rejected asylum seekers and convicted criminals.
The Taliban’s overtures to Washington and Europe come as the group seeks to expand international engagement despite continued diplomatic isolation and widespread criticism of its policies, particularly restrictions imposed on women and girls.
