KABUL, Afghanistan — Roza Otunbayeva, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told the Taliban’s acting foreign minister that the U.N. is working to address Afghanistan’s ongoing banking and private sector challenges, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Taliban-controlled Foreign Ministry.
The statement said Otunbayeva met with Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul and discussed a range of economic and humanitarian issues, including narcotics control.
According to the Taliban, Otunbayeva also briefed Muttaqi on her recent remarks to the U.N. Security Council and on the anticipated renewal of UNAMA’s mandate, which is due for review this spring.
The ministry said Muttaqi expressed a willingness to cooperate with the United Nations, provided the organization respects the Taliban’s perspective. “If our views are taken into account, we are ready to cooperate across various sectors,” he was quoted as saying.
UNAMA has not commented publicly on the meeting or confirmed the Taliban’s account of the discussion.
