Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi says the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) seeks dignified relations with all countries, including the United States, where mutual respect is preserved.

Muttaqi, in an interview with BBC, said: “Currently, if the US wants to engage with Afghanistan politically and economically, we have no problem. We want dignified relations with the United States and with all countries—relations in which the dignity of both sides is preserved.”

Muttaqi emphasized that IEA will not allow Afghanistan to become a battleground for negative competition between powerful countries again.

He added IEA aims to make Afghanistan a hub for connecting regional countries, and added the suspension of US aid to Afghanistan will also have an impact.

“The aid has not only been cut from Afghanistan, this relates to the US internal policy regarding how it engages and interacts with other countries; however, it certainly has an impact, and we hope that the negative effects will not be severe and perhaps these issues will not be permanent,” he added.

Muttaqi stated that the request for the arrest of the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate and the head of the Supreme Court by the International Criminal Court is “unjust and oppressive,” but it will not affect Afghanistan’s relations with the world.

Muttaqi also said the absence of an IEA representative at the recent International Conference on Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities cast doubt over the gathering and that the conference had not been beneficial to Afghanistan.

The outcome of the conference, which was jointly hosted by the Muslim World League (MWL) and Pakistan government, was however welcomed by the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The OIC Secretary-General later commended the Declaration that was issued by delegates, especially the provisions calling for providing educational opportunities for girls in Muslim communities around the world, raising awareness about the importance of girls’ education, and calling for the commitment of Islamic countries to develop supportive policies.