02:51Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that international talks in Doha on the situation in Afghanistan had yielded positive results, while admitting that women's rights in his country remained a 'problem', during a press conference in Kabul on Wednesday.
"We can agree with the world and the United Nations, when the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is recognised under the general umbrella of a united country in the world," he said. "The United Nations must accept this…whenever the national interests of our country and Islamic Sharia are not contradicted by differences, we can agree with the world."
He added that even the US had been impressed by security measures, efforts to tackle the drugs trade and economic policies.
Following criticism levied at both the Taliban government and the UN about women's rights - notably the 'exclusion' of female-led groups on day one - Mujahid said it was an issue, but an 'internal' one.
“I emphasise again that we have problems with girls' education and women's rights in Afghanistan and this is an internal issue of our country," he said. "This is our internal problem, not a global problem for the world."
"If the world is paying attention to such problems, then the problems of Gaza must also be solved," he added.
He called for Afghan funds to be unfrozen by the West, and thanked countries including Russia and China for their backing during discussions.
"The voice of support for the frozen money was raised by other countries," he continued. "We said in our statement that we should have access to Afghan money, which should be surrendered to Afghan banks. Neighbouring countries including Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan declared their support."
He also spoke about a potential prisoner swap with the US.
“Two Americans who are in prison in Kabul and the same people from the Islamic Emirate are prisoners in Guantanamo prison, who can be released and exchanged based on each other's wishes. They should accept our conditions so that we can find a good solution for the prisoners," he added.
Delegations from Afghanistan and around 30 other countries met in the Qatari capital Doha for two days of talks as part of a UN-sponsored effort on integrating Afghanistan into the international community.
It marked the third round of talks but the first time the Taliban had sent a delegation to the discussions.
Since the Taliban took power 2021, women have faced restrictions on education and jobs. According to media reports, the Taliban has repeatedly promised to reopen access to women's education, after addressing issues including an 'Islamic' curriculum.
Over a dozen countries have 'de facto' diplomatic relations with the Taliban on some level without any nation formally recognising the government. They include China, which became the first to name an ambassador to Afghanistan in 2023, as well as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, and others in the region.
'We can agree with the world' - Taliban spox calls for international recognition following UN-led talks in Doha
Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that international talks in Doha on the situation in Afghanistan had yielded positive results, while admitting that women's rights in his country remained a 'problem', during a press conference in Kabul on Wednesday.
"We can agree with the world and the United Nations, when the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is recognised under the general umbrella of a united country in the world," he said. "The United Nations must accept this…whenever the national interests of our country and Islamic Sharia are not contradicted by differences, we can agree with the world."
He added that even the US had been impressed by security measures, efforts to tackle the drugs trade and economic policies.
Following criticism levied at both the Taliban government and the UN about women's rights - notably the 'exclusion' of female-led groups on day one - Mujahid said it was an issue, but an 'internal' one.
“I emphasise again that we have problems with girls' education and women's rights in Afghanistan and this is an internal issue of our country," he said. "This is our internal problem, not a global problem for the world."
"If the world is paying attention to such problems, then the problems of Gaza must also be solved," he added.
He called for Afghan funds to be unfrozen by the West, and thanked countries including Russia and China for their backing during discussions.
"The voice of support for the frozen money was raised by other countries," he continued. "We said in our statement that we should have access to Afghan money, which should be surrendered to Afghan banks. Neighbouring countries including Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan declared their support."
He also spoke about a potential prisoner swap with the US.
“Two Americans who are in prison in Kabul and the same people from the Islamic Emirate are prisoners in Guantanamo prison, who can be released and exchanged based on each other's wishes. They should accept our conditions so that we can find a good solution for the prisoners," he added.
Delegations from Afghanistan and around 30 other countries met in the Qatari capital Doha for two days of talks as part of a UN-sponsored effort on integrating Afghanistan into the international community.
It marked the third round of talks but the first time the Taliban had sent a delegation to the discussions.
Since the Taliban took power 2021, women have faced restrictions on education and jobs. According to media reports, the Taliban has repeatedly promised to reopen access to women's education, after addressing issues including an 'Islamic' curriculum.
Over a dozen countries have 'de facto' diplomatic relations with the Taliban on some level without any nation formally recognising the government. They include China, which became the first to name an ambassador to Afghanistan in 2023, as well as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, and others in the region.
Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that international talks in Doha on the situation in Afghanistan had yielded positive results, while admitting that women's rights in his country remained a 'problem', during a press conference in Kabul on Wednesday.
"We can agree with the world and the United Nations, when the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is recognised under the general umbrella of a united country in the world," he said. "The United Nations must accept this…whenever the national interests of our country and Islamic Sharia are not contradicted by differences, we can agree with the world."
He added that even the US had been impressed by security measures, efforts to tackle the drugs trade and economic policies.
Following criticism levied at both the Taliban government and the UN about women's rights - notably the 'exclusion' of female-led groups on day one - Mujahid said it was an issue, but an 'internal' one.
“I emphasise again that we have problems with girls' education and women's rights in Afghanistan and this is an internal issue of our country," he said. "This is our internal problem, not a global problem for the world."
"If the world is paying attention to such problems, then the problems of Gaza must also be solved," he added.
He called for Afghan funds to be unfrozen by the West, and thanked countries including Russia and China for their backing during discussions.
"The voice of support for the frozen money was raised by other countries," he continued. "We said in our statement that we should have access to Afghan money, which should be surrendered to Afghan banks. Neighbouring countries including Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan declared their support."
He also spoke about a potential prisoner swap with the US.
“Two Americans who are in prison in Kabul and the same people from the Islamic Emirate are prisoners in Guantanamo prison, who can be released and exchanged based on each other's wishes. They should accept our conditions so that we can find a good solution for the prisoners," he added.
Delegations from Afghanistan and around 30 other countries met in the Qatari capital Doha for two days of talks as part of a UN-sponsored effort on integrating Afghanistan into the international community.
It marked the third round of talks but the first time the Taliban had sent a delegation to the discussions.
Since the Taliban took power 2021, women have faced restrictions on education and jobs. According to media reports, the Taliban has repeatedly promised to reopen access to women's education, after addressing issues including an 'Islamic' curriculum.
Over a dozen countries have 'de facto' diplomatic relations with the Taliban on some level without any nation formally recognising the government. They include China, which became the first to name an ambassador to Afghanistan in 2023, as well as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, and others in the region.