France has set conditions for the recognition of the Taliban as the new rulers of Afghanistan, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Paris said, adding that "we expect deeds, not words".
"We are working to form the largest possible international consensus on this subject in cooperation with our partners," Xinhua news agency quoted the spokesman as saying on Monday.
The country's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian had set five conditions for the recognition of the Taliban government: respect for humanitarian law to allow some Afghans to leave the country; clarity vis-a-vis terrorist movements; respect for rights, particularly of women; acceptance of humanitarian aid on Afghan territory; and the constitution of an inclusive government.
Commenting on the virtual meeting of Foreign Ministers from several countries to discuss their next steps in Afghanistan, the spokesman said that "our common objective is to guarantee the continuation of the humanitarian evacuations of all women and men threatened because of their commitments and who still wish to leave the country by all possible means and in particular by the rapid, safe and secure reopening of Kabul airport".
"This is the meaning of the meetings being held today within the G7 and in the UN Security Council, where we are carrying a resolution to this end with the US, Germany and the UK," he said.
President Emmanuel Macron told journalists on Sunday that Paris and London would present a draft resolution for the creation of a "safe zone under UN control" in the Afghan capital Kabul to allow humanitarian operations to continue. France had evacuated some 3,000 people from Afghanistan before its operation ended on August 27.
Russia to maintain normal ties with Taliban
Russian Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said Moscow is working towards establishing normal relations with the Taliban and will refrain from imposing any outside values.
"Our embassy is continuing to actively operate in Kabul," said Kabulov.
"We need to maintain normal relations with any Afghan government," he said, adding that while Russia is still concerned about the developing military and political situation in the region, nothing should be imposed on the Afghan people and the existing cultural and religious values must be respected, the Xinhua news agency reported.
The official said that Russia respects that the Afghan people may have their own perception of democracy, adding that the country's traditional institutions can be considered "conditionally democratic."
Kabulov didn't rule out the possibility of new US airstrikes in Afghanistan and urged the West to assist in normalising the situation in the country through humanitarian aid rather than "create additional obstacles" such as freezing Afghanistan's gold and foreign exchange reserves.
The official reiterated that Russia is ready to participate in any international efforts aimed at ensuring "the social and economic rehabilitation of the region."
