With the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) increasing restrictions on women and the closure of Afghan girls’ secondary and high schools, the EU Special Representative for Afghanistan said Wednesday girls should return to school and women should continue to work.

Tomas Niklasson wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that the situation in Afghanistan was discussed at a meeting hosted by Kazakhstan.

In addition to the EU Special Representative, officials from Central Asia and Deborah Lyons, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, also attended the meeting.

“Women and girls must be able to attend school, work and participate fully in public life. We acknowledged initiatives by the international community to address challenges facing the Afghan economy and reiterated the importance of regional stability and of continued dialogue,” Niklasson tweeted.

Although more than nine months have passed since the IEA took over Afghanistan, the gates of high schools are still closed to female students.

Since the IEA took control of Afghanistan, female employees, with the exception of a few departments, have been barred from going to government offices. The IEA has also imposed several new restrictions on women.

Meanwhile, US special envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West says former politicians do not see the continuation of war and conflict in Afghanistan’s favor and suggest creating a political process to reach a single understanding for a solution to the crisis.

West, who recently met with political figures, women representatives, and civil society in a number of Central Asian countries, Turkey, and India, said the United States supports Afghanistan’s pursuit of lasting peace and stability through understanding and diplomatic means.

“Leaders I heard from this weekend believe violence is not a good path for Afghan people, prefer and are eager to engage in political process. But very frustrated that no such process is underway,” West tweeted.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights has also met with a number of Afghans, including women activists in Istanbul, Turkey.

The IEA has meanwhile said that decisions on Afghanistan will be made by the government in agreement with the people and other parties, and that the Islamic Emirate is ready to carry this out.