Interim Afghan admin urges US to 'move forward,’ end freeze on assets

ISTANBUL

The Taliban-led interim administration has urged the US to “move forward” and end its freeze on Afghanistan's foreign assets, expressing hope to build “amicable” relations with major powers.

Latif Nazari, Afghanistan’s deputy economy minister, made the remarks in an interview with the Tokyo-based Kyodo News following his recent visit to Japan.

Nazari said the Taliban administration "wants to build amicable relations with major powers" and suggested it was time for the US to "move forward" and end the freeze on Afghanistan's foreign assets, “which has served as a drag on the economy,” the report said.

The development comes after the Taliban administration released three American nationals in January, shortly after US President Donald Trump took office.

Last week, Trump’s Hostage Affairs envoy, Adam Boehler, met with interim Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Afghanistan, marking the first public contact between Washington and Kabul.

Boehler was accompanied by former US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.

Around $7 billion in Afghan foreign assets were frozen by the US’ former Biden administration following the complete withdrawal of US-led foreign forces from the war-torn country.

Afghanistan’s Deputy Economy Minister Nazari expressed hopes of strengthening ties with Japan to aid in the development of Afghanistan’s infrastructure and industry, according to the Kyodo News report.

The interim administration is “hoping for a stronger relationship with Japan," Nazari said, expressing optimism that Japan’s support would help improve living standards for the Afghan people.

The deputy minister was part of a senior Taliban delegation that visited Japan in February at the invitation of the Nippon Foundation, a grant-making organization.

This marked the first known visit by Taliban officials since their return to power in 2021.

During the visit, the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Middle Eastern bureau had an informal exchange of views with the visiting members of the Taliban interim administration.

No UN member nation currently recognizes the Taliban administration.