What does the West want from the Taliban at the meeting in Oslo?

Norway has invited representatives of the Taliban movement to Oslo for meetings with Norwegian authorities and members of the international community from January 23 to 25, which has sparked a wave of criticism.

Photo: Internet

What does the West expect from the Taliban?

Earlier, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Taliban delegation has been invited to Oslo from January 23 to 25 for meetings with Norwegian authorities, representatives of the international community, and Afghan civil society.

The fact that Norway has provided the Taliban movement with a platform for meetings with representatives of the global community has caused discontent among some parties. Critics argue that hosting the Taliban delegation in a European country signifies recognition of the Taliban’s legitimacy.

Photo: Internet

“We are extremely concerned about the dire situation in Afghanistan, where millions of people are facing a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe. In order to be able to assist the civilian population in Afghanistan, it is necessary for both the international community and Afghans from various sectors of society to engage in dialogue with the Taliban,” said Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt in a statement.

It is noted that this proposal for negotiations should not be interpreted as legitimization or recognition of the Taliban.

At the same time, the West does not expect elections to be held in Afghanistan or political parties to be involved in the political process in the country.

The focus is primarily on the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and agreements with the Taliban on this issue. Reports indicate that the agreement aims to prevent a humanitarian crisis and mass famine in Afghanistan. Western countries also expect an increase in women’s participation in society, education for girls, and relative freedom of the media.

Photo: Internet

The Taliban delegation, consisting of 15 members, is headed by Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. This is the first visit of a Taliban delegation to Europe since they came to power on August 15, 2021.

The Taliban delegation in Oslo is expected to meet with representatives from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy, as well as with representatives of Afghan civil society.

According to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo even paid for the rental of the plane that brought the Taliban delegation from Kabul, which has also drawn sharp criticism.

Leaders of political parties, former field commanders, and other prominent figures from Afghanistan were not invited to the meeting in Oslo. This includes Abdullah Abdullah, Hamid Karzai, Ahmad Massoud, Amrullah Saleh, Marshal Dostum, Ismail Khan, Abdul Rab Sayyaf, Muhammad Ata Noor, Sarwar Danish, Mohakik, and others who are not present at the meeting in Norway.

Civil activist Khuda Hamush during the meeting urged Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to call Kabul and instruct the release of three women detained by the Taliban.

However, Afghanistan International reported, citing its source, that in response, Amir Khan Muttaqi stated that the Taliban had not detained anyone.

Also, former head of the Ministry of Mining and women’s rights activist Nargis Nihand was invited to the meeting in Oslo but refused to attend in protest.

The meeting with the Taliban is taking place at the Soria Moria hotel in Oslo, which is located far from the city center. However, despite the distance, Afghans living in Oslo held a protest in front of the hotel yesterday and today.

What concerns the West: the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan or the influx of a new wave of Afghan migrants to Europe?

The policies of European countries show that Europe is not ready to accept a new wave of millions of refugees. From 2014 to 2016, Europe accepted over 3 million refugees. In protest against their country’s migration policy, residents of some European countries voted for far-right parties.

In many European countries, including Germany, France, Poland, Austria, and Hungary, far-right parties have entered parliament for the first time. This has prompted European politicians to reconsider their migration policies. As a result of this policy, EU authorities offered neighboring countries of Afghanistan a package of assistance worth 1 billion euros to prevent the migration of Afghans to Europe.

Authorities in European countries are also concerned that along with refugees, extremists and radicals may enter the European Union, as they are difficult to identify since, in most cases, migrants and refugees enter Europe illegally, through smuggling, and none of the agencies or departments register them. This could pose a security threat to the European Union, which is why efforts are being made to prevent illegal migration to Europe.

European authorities are also concerned that Russia and Belarus may use Afghan refugees as a tool to pressure the European Union. EU authorities fear the opening of a new smuggling route for Afghan refugees through Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to Belarus, and their further movement to the eastern borders of the European Union.

The threat of a possible Russian attack on Ukraine, Western sanctions against Lukashenko, and Europe’s dependence on Russian gas heighten the concerns of Western politicians, prompting them to act to prevent a crisis situation in advance. They intend to restore economic security in Afghanistan by providing humanitarian aid and implementing economic projects before a humanitarian crisis occurs in the country, thereby preventing a mass exodus of Afghan refugees.

Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai fled the country on August 15, 2021, when Kabul fell to the Taliban. Six months after the Taliban came to power, no country in the world has yet recognized the Taliban government.

Despite repeated requests from the Taliban’s foreign minister to accept a representative of the movement as Afghanistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, the UN has not responded positively to these requests. Afghanistan at the UN is still represented by diplomats from the former Afghan government.

Since the Taliban came to power, Qatar and Pakistan have made significant efforts to have the international community recognize the Taliban government, but so far without success. The international community wants the Taliban to form an inclusive government and respect the rights and civil liberties of women.

At the same time, the Taliban believe that their government is already inclusive and stated: “For the first time, our people have an inclusive government.”

Previously, the Taliban claimed that the US sent a list of 15 individuals, with the condition that if they were included in the government, the US would recognize the Taliban, but the Taliban rejected the US proposal, calling these individuals a “corrupt” element of the former government.

Muhammad Safarzoda for Azda TV