G7 leaders agrees on roadmap for engagement with Taliban: PM Johnson
Aug 24, 2021
London [UK] August 24 : The leaders of Group of Seven nations have agreed on a roadmap for engagement with the Taliban, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed, adding that there would "probably" be a "Taliban government" in Kabul.
Johnson's remarks came during the virtual G7 meeting to discuss the situation of Afghanistan, Sputnik reported citing press a press statement from PM Johnson.
"What we've done today at the G7, is we've got together the leading Western powers and agreed, not just a joint approach to dealing with the evacuation, but also a roadmap for the way in which we're going to engage with the Taliban, as it will probably be a Taliban government in Kabul," Johnson said.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired the G7 leaders' meeting on Tuesday and urged the member countries to continue to stand by the Afghan people and step up support for refugees and increase humanitarian aid.
Johnson also reiterated that together with its partners and allies, UK will continue to use every humanitarian and diplomatic lever to safeguard human rights and protect the gains made over the last two decades.
The meeting of G7 leaders comes after Johnson chaired a meeting of the Civil Contingencies Committee (COBR) on Monday afternoon where ministers discussed the latest situation in Afghanistan.
As of the morning of Monday, the UK had secured the evacuation of almost 6,000 people out of Kabul since Operation Pitting began last week, which includes British Nationals and their dependants, embassy staff, and Afghan nationals under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) programme.
The UK has already doubled the amount of humanitarian aid to the region, committing up to Pound 286 million with immediate effect, and last week a new bespoke resettlement scheme was also announced.
This programme will be one of the most generous in British history and is set to relocate up to 20,000 vulnerable Afghans, said the release.
