Western participants of the Oslo summit who met with representatives of the Islamic Emirate as well as with representatives of Afghan civil society issued a statement calling for urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and highlighted necessary steps to help alleviate the suffering of Afghans across the country.

The statement, released by the US State Department, was made by the special representatives and other envoys and officials of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, who met in Oslo on January 24, 2022, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

According to the statement, all the participants raised the importance of respect for human rights and the strong need for an inclusive and representative political system to ensure stability and a peaceful future for Afghanistan.

They also urged the Islamic Emirate to do more to stop the "alarming increase" of human rights violations. They reaffirmed their expectations that the Islamic Emirate will uphold their commitments on counterterrorism and drug trafficking.

The joint statement also noted with "grave concern" the absence from, and limitations on access to, secondary schools for girls in many parts of the country and underscored the importance of higher education for women as well as job opportunities for women in all fields.

"(The representatives) listened carefully and with concern to the assessments by the Afghan women and other civil society actors of the present situation in Afghanistan, including the human rights environment (particularly women�s rights), as well as to descriptions of the grave economic and social challenges facing the country," the statement reads.

The representatives of these countries said that these meetings are not a sign of recognition.

They "made clear that their meetings with the Taliban in no way implied any sense of official recognition or legitimization of the interim government announced by the Taliban in September 2021," reads the statement.

The special representatives of the above countries noted that their governments are expanding relief operations, helping prevent the collapse of social services and supporting the revival of Afghanistan�s economy.

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/26474

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