Brussels. August 14th. INTERFAX - The Taliban movement, which seized power in Afghanistan a year ago (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation), failed to create an inclusive political system and thereby deceived the aspirations of the Afghan people, the official representative of the European Foreign Policy Service (EMU) said.
"The EU remains committed to the Afghan people and stability, prosperity and sustainable peace in Afghanistan and the region. This will require an inclusive political process with the full, equal and constructive participation of all Afghan men and women," reads a communique published in Brussels on Sunday.
The EU, the document notes, "stands for the protection and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international conventions, which Afghanistan, as a State party, must adhere to, while respecting international humanitarian law."
The European Union says that "Afghanistan should not remain either a haven for terrorists or a threat to international security."
However, the Taliban "grossly violates and abuses the rights of Afghan women and girls who are still deprived of secondary education, and new restrictions on clothing and movement have further deprived them of the opportunity to participate in most areas of economic and social life." Mechanisms to protect women and girls from violence and forced marriages have been eliminated, and domestic violence is on the rise, Brussels emphasizes.
The EMU representative also points out that the population, including ethnic and religious groups and, in particular, Hazaras and Shiites, is subjected to systematic violations of their economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights. Violations and abuses include extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, ill-treatment and intimidation. Freedom of opinion, speech, press, peaceful assembly and association are violated.
Today, almost half of the country's population is experiencing an acute shortage of food, according to the communique. In the absence of a recognized Afghan Government, the EU is working tirelessly with the international community to find principled, pragmatic and creative solutions to support the Afghan people and mitigate the acute humanitarian and economic crisis.
"The EU has restored a minimal presence in Kabul, ensuring the delivery of aid, facilitating operational coordination and presenting EU policies and positions. The EU gives priority to direct interaction with the Afghan people, including through the Forum of Afghan Women Leaders, which aims to ensure that Afghan women have the right to vote at international events," the document says.
It says that the EU is cooperating with the de facto authorities of Afghanistan to raise key issues of EU policy towards the country, agreed by the EU foreign ministers last year.
"We call on the de facto authorities, for the sake of the Afghan people, to repeal legislation and stop policies that violate Afghanistan's human rights obligations and eliminate ongoing violations, ensure an inclusive political process, fulfill their obligations to combat terrorism and continue to ensure unhindered humanitarian access and allow safe, reliable and orderly travel to and from Afghanistan", - they say in the European Union.
