The US State Department stated on Monday that American officials informed the Afghan Taliban that Washington is open to conducting technical talks to explore ways to achieve economic stability and discuss drug trafficking issues, following two days of meetings between the two sides in Qatar. The State Department's statement noted that the US reiterated its concerns over the "deterioration" of human rights conditions and once again urged the Taliban to lift the ban on girls attending secondary education and on women's employment, while also calling for the release of detained Americans.
Additionally, US officials expressed positive remarks regarding improved financial data, including a decrease in inflation and a reduction in opium poppy cultivation following a ban issued in 2022. The statement indicated that the US "expressed openness to continue dialogue on drug trafficking." It also showed readiness "to conduct technical dialogue on issues related to economic stability soon."
Most Taliban leaders require permission from the United Nations to travel abroad, and Afghanistan's banking sector has been crippled by sanctions since the Taliban administration, which calls itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, returned to power. Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, in a statement in English, emphasized that it is important for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to build trust by lifting the travel ban on Taliban leaders and unfreezing central bank reserves "so that Afghans can establish an economy that does not rely on foreign aid."
Approximately seven billion dollars of the Afghan central bank's funds have been frozen at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York since the Taliban regained control. Half of the funds are now held in an Afghan fund in Switzerland. A financial review funded by the United States failed to gain Washington's support for the return of the assets from the fund. No country has officially recognized the Taliban since the militant group returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 when foreign forces led by the United States withdrew in a state of chaos after a 20-year conflict.
