Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban foreign minister, has said the group wants access to Afghan communities in Europe to provide consular services and to defend what it describes as the “human rights” of Afghans living abroad.
Muttaqi made the remarks during a meeting with Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry.
The call comes despite widespread international criticism of the Taliban’s human rights record, particularly its treatment of women and restrictions on civil liberties. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has barred girls and women from secondary and higher education, curtailed media freedoms and detained protesters and dissenting voices without due process.
According to the United Nations, nearly eight million Afghans have left the country since the 2020 Doha Agreement and the Taliban’s subsequent takeover. Many have fled Taliban-imposed restrictions on women, threats to personal safety and a deepening economic crisis.
During the meeting, Muttaqi and Otunbayeva reportedly discussed the needs of returning migrants, the situation of Afghan diaspora communities worldwide, recent developments inside Afghanistan and other key issues.
Muttaqi urged UNAMA, the UN’s political mission in Afghanistan, to ensure that future UN reports accurately reflect what he described as “progress and comprehensive stability” under Taliban governance.
According to the Taliban’s statement, Otunbayeva acknowledged the group’s cooperation and reiterated the UN’s commitment to standing by the Afghan people. She reportedly pledged to relay the Taliban’s views at upcoming UN and Security Council meetings and to highlight what she called existing opportunities within Afghanistan.
Otunbayeva also said the UN is working to improve conditions for returning refugees and aims to promote job creation through investment initiatives. She added that international aid to Afghanistan is now evolving beyond humanitarian relief to include development-focused assistance.
