Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi gestures while speaking during an event held in the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad on Nov 12, 2021. (FAROOQ NAEEM / AFP)
KABUL – Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has written an open letter to US Congress, calling on the United States to unfreeze Afghanistan's assets, the ministry confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.
The Afghan economy after the Taliban's takeover in mid-August has suffered from the US freezing of over 9 billion US 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
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"Despite the fact that 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, what logic could possibly exist behind the freezing of our assets?" Muttaqi was quoted in the statement as saying.
"At a time when we have an excellent opportunity for positive relations, reaching for the option of sanctions and pressure cannot help improve our relations," he said.
The Afghan economy after the Taliban's takeover in mid-August has suffered from the US freezing of over 9 billion US 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.
"It is necessary for both sides to take positive steps in order to build trust," Muttaqi said.
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Afghanistan is concerned that with no change in the current situation, the Afghan people will face greater difficulties and the country will become a source of mass migration in the region and the world, which will create more humanitarian and economic problems for the world, he noted.