"Taliban" in Norway: An Open Invitation

Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt announced today that officials from the Taliban government in Afghanistan traveled to Norway this week to attend meetings with civil society and diplomats at a peace forum. The visit comes amid a severe humanitarian crisis in the country after 20 years of war, and as many countries have withdrawn their aid following Taliban orders that prevent many Afghan women from working in humanitarian assistance. Despite some senior Taliban leaders being barred from leaving the country due to UN travel restrictions, other officials are able to travel or obtain travel exemptions, and hold meetings abroad in countries including Qatar, Pakistan, and the UAE. In 2022, Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaki attended a meeting in Oslo.