Indonesia reveals Taliban representatives conducting "unofficial" visit to Jakarta

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry revealed on Tuesday that representatives of the Afghan Taliban government made an "unofficial" visit to Jakarta earlier this month, while Kabul mentioned holding meetings with politicians in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

The Taliban, which regained power in August 2021, is seeking to strengthen its political and economic relations in the Islamic world, including Indonesia, which has not yet recognized the legitimacy of the Taliban government.

The spokesperson for the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Tioko Fayasiah, told Agence France-Presse (AFP), "As far as I understand, they were in Jakarta unofficially for internal affairs with the Afghan mission here."

He added that the visitors cannot be described as an official delegation since that implies "a level of formality."

However, Hafez Dhiya Ahmad, Deputy Spokesperson for the Afghan Foreign Ministry, tweeted on July 14th that a senior diplomat from the Taliban government led a "delegation" on a visit to Indonesia.

He wrote, "The delegation held useful meetings and discussions with some scholars, politicians, and businessmen in Indonesia with the aim of enhancing bilateral political and economic relations."

The Indonesian official did not disclose the names of the Indonesian politicians who met with the Afghan delegation.

Fayasiah confirmed that no official meetings were held between officials of the Afghan and Indonesian governments.

The relationship between the two nations is based on religious ties; in 2018, Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani, who fled to Kabul after the Taliban's takeover.

Ahmad also mentioned in his tweet that the Afghan delegation also met diplomats from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Singapore during their stay in the Indonesian capital.

No country or international organization has officially recognized the Taliban government, and only a few countries have representation in Afghanistan.

Jakarta reopened its embassy in Kabul last year after it was closed following the Taliban's takeover.

In recent months, Taliban authorities have closed women's beauty salons and executed at least two public executions as part of their implementation of Islamic Sharia law.

A report by the UN Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, stated that the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan "is among the worst in the world."

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP