Gul Hasan Hasan, the Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Moscow, met with Tanju Bilgic, the Ambassador of Turkey, to discuss strengthening and expanding political, economic, and cultural relations between Kabul and Ankara.

In a statement issued by the Afghan Embassy in Moscow on Friday, the meeting also expressed appreciation for Turkey’s balanced policy toward the Islamic Emirate, based on mutual respect.

Both sides emphasized the need to facilitate visa issuance for Afghan traders and patients by Turkey and to further strengthen comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

At the United Nations Security Council session renewing the 1988 sanctions mandate, US deputy representative, Tammy Bruce, said on Thursday that the Monitoring Team remains vital for assessing security and human rights conditions in Afghanistan.

She said the team’s reports provide key insights into the Islamic Emirate’s counterterrorism efforts and its human rights record, especially regarding women and girls.

Bruce accused the IEA of continuing “hostage diplomacy,” noting they have sought the release of an al-Qaida operative held at Guantanamo Bay detention camp in exchange for detained American citizens.

“The Taliban (IEA) must end all forms of hostage-taking and wrongful detentions,” she said. “The UN 1988 sanctions regime and its Monitoring Team remain critical tools for the international community to hold the Taliban accountable, including for these deplorable tactics.”

China’s envoy, Fu Cong, welcomed the Monitoring Team’s recent visit to Afghanistan and encouraged its experts to maintain engagement with and dialogue with the Afghan government.

“We urge the Afghan government to earnestly fulfil its counterterrorism responsibilities and take more resolute and effective measures to completely eradicate all terrorist forces in the country, including Daesh, al Qaeda, ETIM and TTP,” he said.
The envoy called for travel ban exemptions for Islamic Emirate officials to facilitate their international engagement.

Russian deputy representative, Anna Evstigneeva, said that attempts to shift the focus from key issues related to combating terrorism and narcotics trafficking to the human rights situation in Afghanistan are counterproductive and will undermine the effective implementation by experts of their tasks.

Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, said in response to the United Nations Security Council’s recent decision that sanctions and restrictions have yielded no results in the past and will not benefit anyone in the future.

In a statement on Friday, Fitrat described the repeated use of such measures and what he called “failed experiences” as not logical.

On Thursday night, the United Nations Security Council extended for another year the mandate of the committee overseeing sanctions related to Afghanistan.

Fitrat, however, said the positions of China and Russia were worthy of appreciation, adding that the tangible progress and current realities in Afghanistan are not compatible with sanctions that were imposed during a period of crisis and have continued until now.

He stated that Afghanistan is on a path of progress and engagement with various countries and that security and stability are improving day by day.

Fitrat emphasized that under such circumstances, Afghanistan needs cooperation rather than the imposition or extension of sanctions on a daily basis.

He also called on Western countries to reconsider their policies and pursue constructive engagement with Afghanistan.