KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi stated that appointing a United Nations special envoy for Afghanistan is “neither necessary nor a solution”.
Muttaqi made the remarks in a meeting with Takayoshi Kuromiya, Japan’s Ambassador in Afghanistan, on Monday, May 13, according to a Taliban statement.
The statement said that Muttaqi expressed a “positive outlook” on the upcoming meeting in Doha but dismissed the need for a special representative.
Muttaqi emphasized during the meeting that “instead of creating new structures, it is essential to discuss Afghan government-related issues through existing bilateral structures.”
The statement said that the Japanese ambassador “highlighted the importance” of Taliban participation in the next meeting in Doha.
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry mentioned that Kuromiya remarked, “Appointing a special envoy without Taliban consent is not realistic.”
The Japanese embassy in Kabul has not yet commented on this meeting or the statements made by Kuromiya.
The third United Nations-hosted meeting on Afghanistan is scheduled to take place next month in Doha. Although the appointment of a UN special envoy was discussed at the second Doha meeting, it concluded without any such appointment.
To date, Taliban has not agreed to the appointment of a United Nations special envoy for Afghanistan.
