UK Prime Minister Johnson: "We Must Not Recognize the Taliban Regime"

UK Urges UN and NATO to Hold High-Level Meeting on Afghanistan

[Asia Economy International Desk Reporter] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasized that the Taliban regime in Afghanistan should not be recognized.

On the 15th (local time), after an emergency security meeting called the COBRA meeting, Prime Minister Johnson said in an interview, "It is clear that a new government will soon be established in Afghanistan," but added, "I hope no one hastily recognizes the Taliban regime."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He stressed, "The situation in Afghanistan is becoming extremely difficult," and "No one wants Afghanistan to become a hotbed of terrorism." He went on to say that fulfilling obligations to the British people and those who helped the UK and evacuating them as quickly as possible is the top priority, and that the British ambassador remains in Afghanistan working tirelessly for this purpose.

Prime Minister Johnson said he had spoken with the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General regarding the situation in Afghanistan, and pledged to work with the UN Security Council and NATO member countries to prevent Afghanistan from returning to the pre-9/11 state.

Johnson's spokesperson stated that the Prime Minister urged the UN and NATO to hold a high-level meeting on Afghanistan as soon as possible. The spokesperson also added that the Prime Minister emphasized the need for the international community to cooperate in the coming months to prevent the threat of extremist forces and address the humanitarian crisis.

While acknowledging that the US withdrawal decision accelerated the situation in Afghanistan, Johnson claimed, "We have known for a long time that this would happen."

Meanwhile, the UK House of Commons and House of Lords will hold a meeting on Afghanistan on the 16th. Prior to this, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer called for convening the meeting for discussion, and Johnson summoned members of the House of Commons. This is the first time the House has convened during the summer recess since September 2014, when it approved airstrikes to combat the Islamic extremist armed group 'Islamic State (IS)' in Iraq.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.