Washington has no intention of opening Kabul embassy anytime soon

Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesperson of the US State Department, said in a press conference on Monday that the US does not intend to open its political representation in Afghanistan anytime soon.

“Human rights and the return to school for women and girls are at the forefront of our engagement with the Taliban (Islamic Emirate),” said Patel.

In response to a question, he said that the normalization of relations with the Islamic Emirate is conditional on respecting the rights of all Afghans.

Patel also said that America continues to interact with the Islamic Emirate and Afghans abroad, but at the same time will pressure the Islamic Emirate to change their discriminatory policies.

“We’ll continue to press the Taliban to reverse these discriminatory edicts, particularly those that disproportionately affect women and girls and those that we believe will affect any normalization of relations. And it’s contingent on the respect for the rights of all Afghans,” Patel added.

Earlier, the Voice of America TV, citing a document of the US State Department, reported that the US is considering the possibility of reopening its consulate in Afghanistan without recognizing the Islamic Emirate.