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Kabul: The deputy head of the European Union Delegation in Afghanistan, Arnout Pauwels, in an interview with Tolo News emphasized the importance of girls’ access to education and observation of human rights in the country.
He said in a televised interview that the international community’s request to the interim government of the Taliban to create an inclusive government and give the right to work and education to women does not mean interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
Stating that the issue of girls’ right to education is one of the priorities of the European Union, he told that the first issue for the European Union is girls going to school, the second issue is allowing women to work, and the third issue is human rights, media freedom, respect to the right to life, to no more extrajudicial killings, and then to the creation of a comprehensive political structure that is up to Afghans to create it.
Pauwels added that the authorities of the interim government of the Taliban should do something in this direction to cause the recognition of their government.
Rejecting the statements of the Taliban leaders that the international requests to establish a comprehensive government in Afghanistan are interference in the internal affairs of this country, he said: “If they look at this issue carefully, this is not interference.” You can’t have this kind of conversation and say to the other person, for example, I’m telling you what to say and what not to say, that’s not a conversation.
The head of the European Union delegation to Afghanistan added: “Discussions are conducted on the basis of mutual respect, in which both sides listen to each other and then decide to accept or reject it.” We listen very carefully to the statements of the Taliban leaders, what they say, we not only pay attention to their words, but we also see what actions they take and then we make a decision.
Regarding the process of recognizing the interim government of the Taliban, he said: I consider the process of recognition to be a long process and not the beginning of anything. It is not right that we first recognize and then everything will be fine. No, first everything has to be improved and then we can talk about recognition.
