UAE Foreign Minister Meets Taliban’s FM Muttaqi

According to a statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, during the meeting, the two sides discussed regional developments and the expansion of humanitarian cooperation.

Referring to the historical friendship between the two countries and strong people-to-people contacts, the Indian Foreign Secretary announced India's readiness to respond to the immediate development needs of the Afghan people.

This is the first meeting between a senior Indian official and the Taliban's foreign minister.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed that in addition to the current humanitarian assistance, India will also participate in development projects in Afghanistan in the future.

India said that it has so far delivered 50,000 tonnes of wheat, 300 tonnes of medicine, 27 tonnes of earthquake aid, 100 million doses of polio vaccine and other essential items to Afghanistan.

The statement added that based on the Taliban's request, India will provide more assistance in the health sector and support for refugees.

The Indian Foreign Secretary and Muttaqi agreed on strengthening sports cooperation, especially in the field of cricket, and the use of Chabahar port to support trade and humanitarian aid.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said that during the meeting, Amir Khan Muttaqi mentioned India's security sensitivities and it was agreed that contacts and talks will continue at various levels.

Jahanian said that Afghans are not allowed to live and work in the cities of Genaveh, Deylam and Assaluyeh in Bushehr.

ILNA news agency reported on Wednesday, January 8, that Ehsan Jahanian said that all Afghans should leave the cities of Genaveh, Deylam and Assaluyeh as soon as possible.

Ehsan Jahanian has threatened that if Afghans are not deported from these areas, their residency documents will be revoked and they will be expelled from Iran.

Stating that the plan for the detention and expulsion of unauthorised foreign nationals in Bushehr is continuous, he stated, "Nationals who do not have identity documents will be identified, detained, and transferred to a border camp for deportation from the country."

At the same time, he emphasised that proper planning should be done by the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs of Bushehr Governorate in order to attract investment through the UNHCR and other supporting organisations for the construction of housing units for such migrants.

The political, security, and social deputy of the governor of Bushehr has said that international organisations have provided little support for refugees to the Islamic Republic of Iran over the past years.

He called for increased financial support from international organisations, saying, "We hope that more support will be provided in 2025."

The director general of the country's divisions of the Iranian Interior Ministry said in December this year, more than 1.5 million Afghans have been arrested and deported to Afghanistan without documents in one year. To prevent the re-entry of Afghans, fingerprinting has been started, Abbas Alipour said.

The organisation has called on international organisations to take serious action to release the journalist.

Mehdi Ansari disappeared in October this year after leaving his office in the Pul-e-Surkh area of Kabul.

However, the Afghanistan Journalists Support Organisation said in a statement on Wednesday, January 8, that "the arrest of Mehdi Ansari and the charges against him on the basis of anti-government propaganda are illegal and contrary to the principles of freedom of expression".

According to a letter provided to the media, it was reported that the Taliban had issued a prison sentence for Mehdi Ansari on charges of "anti-government propaganda".

The organisation has emphasised that the arrest of Mehdi Ansari and similar actions pose a serious threat to freedom of expression and is a warning to the Afghan media community.

With the group regaining control of Afghanistan, the activities of journalists and media inside the country have been severely restricted.

According to reports received by Afghanistan International, the attack targeted Abdul Razzaq, an imam and religious teacher, while Hamdullah Mohammadi, the district's Friday prayer cleric, sustained critical injuries.

Witnesses describe Abdul Razzaq as a staunch supporter of the Taliban, and his death marks another incident in the ongoing campaign of violence by ISIS against Taliban-affiliated clerics.

This is not the first instance of ISIS targeting pro-Taliban religious figures. In August 2022, ISIS assassinated Mawlawi Rahimullah Haqqani, a prominent Taliban-affiliated scholar, in a deadly attack in Kabul.

Kabulov said that in a situation where the Taliban has not yet been recognised, the group will replace the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation.

According to the TASS news agency, Zamir Kabulov said, "Next spring, a bilateral working group will be formed in the field of trade and economic relations, in which case the lack of recognition of the regime will replace the intergovernmental commission on economic, trade and other cooperation."

Earlier, Russia's Supreme Court had recognised the Taliban as a terrorist organisation and banned the group's activities in Russia.
Russia currently has close diplomatic relations with the Taliban, and Moscow has said that removing the Taliban from the list of terrorist organisations is under consideration.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently signed a law that allows for the temporary suspension of the activities of terrorist organisations in the country. According to this law, Russian judicial institutions are allowed to temporarily and conditionally remove the Taliban's name from the list of terrorist groups.