UN Secretary General António Guterres said that the international community should continue dialogue with the Taliban* in Afghanistan in order to avoid economic collapse and millions of deaths in the republic.
“We must maintain a dialogue with the Taliban, in which we directly reaffirm our principles – a dialogue with a sense of solidarity with the Afghan people. It is our duty to show solidarity with people who are suffering greatly, millions of whom are at risk of starving to death”, Guterres told AFP.
In his opinion, at present there are no guarantees regarding the outcome of possible negotiations with the Taliban *, but the secretary general stressed the need for them to “prevent Afghanistan from becoming a center of terrorism and prevent the infringement of the rights of women in this country.”
Guterres also did not rule out a personal visit to Afghanistan, if there are favorable conditions for this. He noted that the UN would like to see an inclusive government in Kabul, in which the entire diverse Afghan society will be represented.
*-Terrorist organization banned in Russia.