The European Union reiterated that it has no choice but to negotiate with the Taliban, while Qatar stressed that Afghanistan cannot be isolated, and that boycotting it is not a solution.
"The Afghan crisis is not over yet, and until we have an opportunity to influence events, we have no choice but to engage in dialogue with the Taliban," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
"We agreed with the European Union foreign ministers that the level and nature of this interaction will depend on the behavior of the new Taliban government," he added.
The European Union foreign ministers set conditions for the return of humanitarian aid and diplomatic relations with the Taliban, including respect for human rights, especially women's rights.
can not be isolated
Earlier on Tuesday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, stressed that Afghanistan cannot be isolated, saying that boycotting it is not a solution.
"Our position is that we cannot isolate or boycott Afghanistan because the Taliban have taken over," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said in a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Alparis, after their talks in Doha.
The Qatari minister added that the only way to get Afghanistan out of the current situation is through dialogue, and called on everyone to engage in dialogue with the Afghans.
Qatar's Foreign Minister: Our position is that we cannot isolate or boycott Afghanistan because the Taliban took over (Reuters)
He called for concerted international efforts to provide aid to the Afghan people, noting that during the talks with his Spanish counterpart, the importance of freedom of movement to and from Afghanistan was emphasized.
On Monday, the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed - during a joint press conference in Doha with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Lourdian - the necessity of Afghan national reconciliation to achieve stability.
Senator threatens
Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, threatened to summon Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other officials to testify in connection with the "chaotic" US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
He added - during the second session of Congress in two days - that "the accountability for the way the United States dealt with this crisis will not be complete without the Pentagon, especially when it comes to explaining the complete collapse of the Afghan army, which was trained and funded by the United States."
"I expect Secretary (Austin) to present himself before the committee in the near future, and unless he does, I may consider using the subpoena power of the committee to compel him and others over the past 20 years to testify."
Democratic and Republican lawmakers sharply criticized Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during his testimony today in Congress, regarding the "chaotic" end of the United States' longest war, and the reason why the administration decided not to extend the withdrawal deadline so that more people could be evacuated from Afghanistan.