UPDATE - Taliban seeks concessions from international community at UN conference in Doha

ADDS STATEMENT FROM INERIM ADMIN SPOKESMAN, CHANGES HEADLINE

Serdar Dincel and Aamir Latif

ISTANBUL/KARACHI (AA) - Afghanistan's Taliban-led interim government sought concessions Monday from the international community as it lauded the US and regional countries for pledging to lift restrictions on the Islamic emirate’s banking and economic sectors.

"Afghanistan's messages have been conveyed to all participating countries," said the interim administration’s chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as the two-day UN conference on Afghanistan concluded in the Qatari capital Doha.

"Afghanistan requires cooperation from countries in the areas of private sector collaboration, (in) combating narcotics, and alternative livelihoods. Most countries expressed their willingness to cooperate in these areas," Mujahid added.

This was the third such UN meeting that the Taliban have attended, as the international community has not recognized the interim administration since their return to power in August 2021.

Besides UN officials, more than 20 envoys from countries including the US, Russia, and Pakistan attended the meeting.

Early Monday, Mujahid said the meeting was "progressing very well, with most countries expressing support for Afghanistan's private sector."

"It was pledged that restrictions on banking and economic avenues should be lifted," he said.

"The stances of Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, the United States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation were commendable," Mujahid said.

In his opening statement on Sunday, he called for “delineating” Afghanistan’s internal matters from foreign relations to achieve “advancements” in bilateral and multilateral engagements.

Accompanied by Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban's ambassadorial nominee for the UN, Mujahid held bilateral meetings with several envoys from participating nations as well as a representative of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.