Taliban's visit to Oslo does not imply recognition of new rulers in Kabul: Norway's Foreign Minister

Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt on Tuesday said the Taliban might use a recent visit of their delegation to Norway as propaganda but it in no way implies the recognition of the movement's rule in Afghanistan, reported Sputnik.

"There is a risk that the Taliban will try to use the visit for propaganda purposes. But the united international community is unanimous that it is too early for formal recognition of the interim Taliban government in Afghanistan," Sputnik quoted Huitfeldt as saying.

The minister also said that the Taliban must show their commitment to respecting human rights in Afghanistan including the right of girls and women to education and work on equal terms.

Huitfeldt asked the Taliban to take exhaustive steps to prevent the country from becoming a centre of international terrorism again.

"The meetings were discussed with Norway's allies and partner countries. They have not opposed it, and we agree that this is not and does not entail steps towards recognition," said Huitfeldt.

The Foreign Minister also conveyed that none of the people that visited Oslo is on the international wanted list for terrorism.

It came after deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Information and Press Department Alexey Zaitsev on Thursday said that Moscow considers the Oslo meetings as a step towards international recognition of the Taliban, according to Sputnik.

In late January, the Taliban delegation headed by the Foreign Minister of the interim Taliban government Amir Khan Muttaqi paid a three-day official visit to the Norwegian capital in late January at the invitation of the kingdom. The delegation met with special representatives and envoys from the US, the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and the UK.

( With inputs from ANI )

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