Afghanistan urges U.S. to unfreeze its assets

Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, has written an open letter to U.S. Congress, calling on the United States to unfreeze Afghanistan's assets. The ministry confirmed this in a statement on Wednesday. He said despite the fact following the signing of the Doha Agreement in February 2020, we no longer find ourselves in direct conflict with one another nor are we a military opposition.

He asked what logic could possibly exist behind the freezing of assets. Muttaqi said at a time when they have an excellent opportunity for positive relations, reaching for the option of sanctions and pressure cannot help improve our relations. The Afghan economy after the Taliban's takeover in mid-August has suffered from the U.S. freezing of over 9 billion dollars in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank as well as a halt in funds by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The minister said it was necessary for both sides to take positive steps in order to build trust. He said the country was concerned that with no change in the current situation, its people would face greater difficulties. He said the country would become a source of mass migration in the region and the world, which would create more humanitarian and economic problems for the world.