The Norwegian government has announced that following the recent decree by Mullah Hibatullah, banning medical education for Afghan girls, it no longer has any interest in engaging with the Taliban. Norway also stated that it would not accept a Taliban representative as Afghanistan’s ambassador in Oslo.
Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, in his latest remarks, stated that Norway is reducing its diplomatic relations with the Taliban and has conveyed this message very clearly to them. According to Agence France-Presse, the minister said, “We have explicitly informed the Taliban that there is absolutely no possibility of accepting a new Afghan ambassador in Oslo.”
The Norwegian official emphasized that recent restrictions imposed against women in Afghanistan have had profound impacts on their lives. He further stated that Norway’s diplomatic relations with the Taliban would only be defined by their adherence to human rights, particularly women’s rights, in Afghanistan.
This comes after Norway closed the Afghan Embassy in Oslo on September 12, with speculation that it might be handed over to the Taliban. However, the Norwegian foreign minister clarified that only one individual would be accepted as an ordinary staff member of the embassy, solely to address urgent public needs, such as passport services.
