The Taliban government’s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said during the eighth meeting of the Moscow Format that Afghanistan should become an important center for economic cooperation and regional connectivity between Central and South Asia and other regions, rather than a platform for regional rivalries.
Muttaqi said the Taliban government’s foreign policy is based on the principles of open doors, balanced engagement, mutual respect and shared interests, and that Kabul does not want to define its relations with one country against another.
He called on regional countries to increase investment in energy, mining, agriculture, industry, transit, logistics and infrastructure, and described projects such as TAPI, TAP, CASA-1000 and the Trans-Afghan railway as important initiatives for regional connectivity and economic growth.
Muttaqi stressed that security, political and economic problems with Pakistan should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, and said that Pakistan’s military pressure violates Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
He also expressed readiness to continue cooperation with regional countries on border security and the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime.
Regarding Afghanistan’s economic situation, Muttaqi said the country’s real gross domestic product grew by 1.5 percent during the 1404 fiscal year, while private-sector investment reached 200.9 billion Afghanis.
He described Russia’s recognition of the Taliban government as an important development and called on other countries to pursue policies toward Afghanistan based on direct engagement, regional realities and mutual interests rather than pressure and isolation.
