Consensus of Member States Needed For Taliban’s Presence At SCO Summit, Says Kremlin Spox

Mahami said, "The neighbour [Taliban] did not keep its promise during the past years, and if any water has been received in the country, it was the result of the floods."

Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday that Mahami met with the managers of Iran’s Ministry of Energy in Sistan and Baluchistan province.

Iran’s representative to the province stressed, "Water and electricity issues are considered to be one of the problems of the country, but the situation is more difficult and critical in our province, especially in the center and north of [Sistan and Baluchistan] province."

He emphasised that there should be serious efforts to prevent further crises in the province.

Mahami said that in the current situation, there is a decrease in floods, and "the enemy has planned not to send more water toward our country". He added that this is the reason why they [Taliban] have been diverting the water to the Gowd-i zerrah region in Afghanistan.

WFP added that the Taliban also exerted “strong control” over the export of foreign currency, which caused stability of the Afghani currency rate.

According to the organisation, the strengthening of the afghani can be considered a positive economic development.

Since the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2021, Afghanistan’s Central Bank has continuously reported receiving USD 40 million in humanitarian assistance packages from the international community to Kabul. These reports have been met with criticisms from Afghans and the Taliban’s opposition groups.

On Sunday too, Afghanistan’s Central Bank announced that a USD 40 million humanitarian package reached Kabul.

A reliable source in the Central Bank of Afghanistan, on Saturday, confirmed to Afghanistan International that the cash packages are being sent to Kabul, but the Taliban have avoided publicising it.

Meanwhile, WFP stressed that Afghanistan's export sector has also seen a slight improvement “with a steady contribution from food and coal exports”.

According to the World Bank economic monitoring data, in the first three months of 2023, Afghanistan’s exports reached 500 million dollars, showing a seven percent increase compared to the same period of time, last year.

In this report, it has also been stated that Afghanistan’s imports in 2023 amounted to USD 1.8 billion which shows a 32 percent increase than last year.

The Taliban’s higher education minister discussed cooperation in the education sector in a meeting with Robert Dickson, the British Charge d’Affairs for Afghanistan.

Dickson has been appointed as the interim Charge d’Affairs of the UK mission in Afghanistan. He is on a visit to Kabul and met with the Taliban’s foreign minister too.

Nadim also said that the stability of Afghanistan depends on education and that’s why the world should cooperate in the development of education sector in the country.

He stressed that educated Afghans need to return to Afghanistan and take part in the development of the country. With the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, many university lecturers and professors have been removed from their positions in state universities and or have fled the country.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Taliban’s foreign ministry announced that Amir Khan Muttaqi met with Dickson in Kabul.

This ministry stated that the Taliban is thankful to the UK for “not supporting armed oppositions” of the group.

Muttaqi told Dickson that the UK should not formulate its Afghanistan policies based on "media reports". He called on the British government to be “realistic” about the Taliban.

The 23rd summit of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was held virtually on Tuesday and member states discussed Afghanistan too.

The Taliban criticised that they were not invited to the SCO summit.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Taliban's foreign ministry called the absence of Afghanistan’s representatives during such meetings as an obstacle to comprehensive coordination to prevent instability and drug trafficking, support humanitarian assistance, implementation of infrastructural projects, and facilitate regional economic initiatives.

The Taliban asked the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to facilitate the participation of the group in the upcoming SCO meeting which is scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has not yet reacted to the Taliban’s demands and criticism.

However, at the SCO summit on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the organisation remains focused on Afghanistan, as the situation in the country continues to be tense.

During the non-aligned movement’s foreign ministers meeting on Wednesday in Baku, Amir-Abdollahian also called for the release of Afghanistan’s frozen assets.

He emphasised that to end decades of conflict, instability, and crisis in Afghanistan, all ethnic groups in the country must be able to participate in the government.

The Iranian foreign minister also discussed the refugee issues and said that Iran hosts millions of Afghan refugees.

Iran has announced that the country hosts around five million Afghans.

The international community and various regional stakeholders have repeatedly asked the Taliban to form an inclusive government with the participation of representatives of all ethnic groups, sects, and political groups, but the group has not been responsive to these calls.

Earlier, members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in a joint declaration said that it essential to establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of representatives of all ethnic, religious, and political groups.

The member states believed that one of the most important factors of preservation and strengthening of safety and stability within SCO region, is advocating to build Afghanistan as an independent, neutral, united, democratic, and peaceful state, free from terrorism, war and drugs.