NATO message to Taliban: Prove they deserve international recognition and help

More vulnerable Afghans will seek to free NATO from Afghanistan and maintain contact with the Taliban, according to Alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. But Afghanistan’s new leaders will have to prove that they deserve help and international recognition, he said.

Turkey, which has operated Kabul airport for six years, has offered to help keep it operational now that US and NATO forces have left. Qatar is also offering its help. Stoltenberg said he had discussed the issue with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani as well as with the emirate’s foreign minister.

The secretary-general also noted that many Afghans who have co-operated with international forces remain in Afghanistan and could therefore be at risk from the Taliban. “The business contact with them Taliban it is necessary to get these people out of the country. ” “NATO has managed to remove most of the personnel who worked for us. “But there are still many people left and we will continue to work to get them out,” he said in an interview with Reuters, according to the Athens News Agency.

Stoltenberg also said that It is too early to express any criticism of the Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar taking over as prime minister of Afghanistan. “We should judge them on the basis of their actions, not their words,” he said. rights, in particular women, and that they would guarantee free movement.

The secretary-general noted that diplomatic recognition of the new regime in Afghanistan would be discussed between NATO allies and the international community “in order to put as much pressure as possible on the Taliban government”.