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Pakistani Foreign Minister Ringing the Alarm Clock: Afghanistan on the brink of economic collapse

Afghanistan is “on the brink of economic collapse” and the international community must once again offer economic and humanitarian assistance to the country, the Pakistani foreign minister said today during talks in Islamabad with US, Chinese and Russian diplomats.

“Afghanistan today is on the verge of economic collapse,” Shah Mahmoud Quresi warned during the meeting, which was also attended by the new US envoy to Afghanistan, Thomas West.

The diplomats are expected to hold talks today with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Moutaki.

If the situation worsens, the ability of the new Taliban regime to govern the country “will be significantly reduced”, Quresi added. “It is therefore vital that the international community immediately supports the resumption of humanitarian aid,” he said.

The main goal is to enable Afghanistan to access the resources of Western donors that have been frozen since the Taliban came to power in August, the Pakistani minister explained.

“This assistance” will strengthen our efforts to restart economic activity and make the Afghan economy stable and sustainable, “he said.

The measures will also benefit Western countries, Kouresi said.

“If you believe that you are far away, that Europe is safe and that it will not be affected by terrorism, do not forget history,” he said. “We have learned from the past and we do not want to make the same mistakes.”

“The commitment to Afghanistan must not just continue but must be strengthened for many reasons,” Qureshi said.

“No one wants to see (the country) plunged into civil war again, no one wants an economic collapse that will cause instability. Everyone wants the terrorist elements operating inside Afghanistan to be dealt with effectively and we all want to prevent a new migration. crisis “, he underlined.

The international community has not recognized the Taliban government and Afghanistan’s economy, which was already in a bad state with the national currency highly devalued, is collapsing.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have suspended their aid to Pakistan.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned in recent weeks that Afghanistan is on the brink of a very serious humanitarian crisis, with half the country’s population at risk of food shortages.

This will be West’s first visit to the region since being appointed in October to replace Zalmai Khalilzad. The US envoy to Afghanistan is also expected to travel to Russia and India, according to Washington.

West, who was in Brussels this week to discuss Afghanistan with NATO officials, said the Taliban were “absolutely clear” in favor of returning humanitarian aid to their country, normalizing relations abroad and lifting international sanctions against them.

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Source From: Capital

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