Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary, said in a press conference that if the Islamic Emirate seeks the lifting of sanctions and international legitimacy, it must fulfill its commitments.
The White House spokesperson also informed reporters that Washington continues its engagement with the interim government to respect human rights issues, particularly women’s rights, and to secure the release of American citizens detained by the Islamic Emirate.
Jean-Pierre added that women in Afghanistan need to participate in various sectors of society.
Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters: “The Taliban want international legitimacy, to be removed from sanction list and foreign financing to restart the Afghan economy. These aspirations require the Taliban to live up to their commitments at minimum. Afghanistan cannot strengthen its economy unless women are able to participate in all aspects of society without limitations. So we will continue to engage with the Taliban on matters of our interest for example on respect for the rights of women and girls and the return of wrongfully detained US citizens and that’s how we’re going to move forward with.”
Earlier, the US State Department also said that the detention of American citizens in Afghanistan hinders positive engagement with the interim government of Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate has not commented on this matter yet, but it has repeatedly stressed that it has fulfilled its commitments to the international community.
The spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate previously confirmed to TOLOnews that two American citizens and some other foreign nationals are in detention due to legal violations.
Hewad Zazai, a political analyst, discussed the importance of balance in the Islamic Emirate’s policies, saying: “When it comes to BRICS, they raise issues of human rights and prisoners. It is better for the Islamic Emirate to maintain a balance in its interactions between the East and West and pursue a balanced policy.”
“They want to create distance between the Islamic Emirate, the region, and BRICS member countries, who now want to give the Islamic Emirate a role in this meeting,” said Sayed Akbar Sial Wardak, another political analyst.
The Islamic Emirate recently said that a delegation from the interim government is interested in participating in the BRICS summit, which will be held in less than a month in Kazan, Russia.
