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During the first in-person meeting in Qatar since the takeover of Kabul in August, the Taliban urged the United States to unfreeze Afghanistan’s central bank deposits. On Saturday, the two sides met in Doha for the first time to begin a “new chapter in their relationship.” This is the first face-to-face meeting between the two parties since the United States began its withdrawal from Afghanistan in mid-August.
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi of the Taliban stated that the Taliban wants to cooperate with the international community and that they will not favour one country over another. “In the discussions, the importance of developing excellent healthy relationships with one another on an equal footing is stressed. In light of Afghanistan’s tough conditions, we emphasised the importance of unfreezing Afghan financial assets “As quoted by Voice of America, the foreign minister stated .
“We made it plain to [the Americans] that no one profits from an unstable Afghanistan,” Muttaqi added. “No one should try to undermine the current Afghan government or cause gasoline shortages for our Afghan people who are already struggling economically.”
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently put payments to Afghanistan on hold due to the country’s increasing unpredictability. The changes come after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced a USD 650 billion Special Drawing Rights (SDR) allocation for member nations, but Afghanistan would not be able to access these funds for the time being, according to Tolo News.
Because of the uncertainties surrounding Afghanistan’s leadership, IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice said at a news conference last month that Afghanistan would not be eligible for this funding.
