“It is too early for any form of recognition of the Taliban,” warns Draghi, organizer of the G20 summit on the Central Asian country
1,000 million euros has promised to dedicate the European Union to face the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan after the military success of the Taliban last August, when they took control of most of the country, including the capital, Kabul. The president of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen, offered this figure during the G20 summit dedicated to the Central Asian country that took place this Tuesday by videoconference and was organized by Italy, the nation that this year holds the rotating presidency of the club of the most developed states in the world.
Although the presidents of China and Russia were missing, the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, who served as host, described the meeting as “satisfactory and fruitful”, in which there was full agreement that the humanitarian emergency that Afghanistan is experiencing is “extremely serious ». Furthermore, the situation may worsen in the coming months with the arrival of winter. The head of the Italian Executive celebrated the “convergence of visions” at the time of handing over to the United Nations the coordination of the humanitarian response while collecting “large financial commitments” to respond to this crisis. In addition to the 1,000 million euros that Brussels will dedicate, the additional 300 million dollars that US President Joe Biden promised to offer stand out.
After a period under Soviet orbit and two decades of US-led Western military occupation, the international community now faces the situation in Afghanistan with a “multilateral” perspective that was widely celebrated by Draghi. “This meeting is a success because it is the first time that world leaders have given a multilateral response to the Afghan crisis. Although with difficulties, multilateralism is returning, “said the Italian Prime Minister, who advanced a joint effort by the G20 countries to prevent the economic collapse of the Central Asian country and guarantee the operation of the Kabul airport. They are both essential elements for humanitarian aid to arrive.
All the participants in the G20 summit, Draghi said, agreed on the need to demand from the Taliban government greater respect for human rights, particularly the situation of women. ‘Female access to education must be guaranteed. You cannot go back 20 years ”, commented the former president of the European Central Bank. When asked by journalists about a possible international recognition of the Taliban, he endorsed the position shown on other occasions: it is necessary to speak with the new Kabul regime, but to establish full diplomatic relations they must go “from words to deeds” in issues such as respect for human rights and the participation of women. “It is too early for any form of recognition,” he said.
In the United Nations agencies there was great interest in this meeting on Afghanistan, which is taking place on the eve of the G20 summit to be held in person in Rome on October 30 and 31. «The situation in the country is really serious. The health system is collapsing, there is a lack of medicines, material and personnel. There are one million children suffering from acute malnutrition and who are at risk of dying from the current situation. We must act soon or we will face a humanitarian catastrophe, “warned Andrea Iacomini, spokesman for Unicef in Italy.
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