Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke again about the repercussions of the Afghan crisis, and the United States announced a freeze of funds and set conditions for their release.

While France praised Qatar's role, it began consultations in Kabul to form a new Afghan army, and the Foreign Minister made statements about women, aid and relations with the world.

Lavrov said on Wednesday that his country had not imposed any conditions on the Taliban.

He added - in press statements from the Tajik capital Dushanbe - that the movement made many promises, and everyone is watching how they will be implemented.

Lavrov said that Russia would not be held responsible for possible migration crises caused by the West's actions in Afghanistan.

"What matters to us is the security of the borders of our allies in Central Asia," he said.

American ban and European giving

For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed the freezing of about $10 billion in Afghan funds.

During a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Blinken said that Washington will not currently release any of the collapsed Afghan government funds to a Taliban-led government, noting that the release of any funds to the Taliban is subject to their fulfillment of its international obligations and commitments.

The secretary explained that President Joe Biden had two options when it came to making a decision on Afghanistan: either withdraw troops and end the war, or escalate.

Blinken added during the session that the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was made in coordination with allies and partners.

He pointed out that the United States has moved its diplomacy on Afghanistan to the Qatari capital, Doha, as has many partner countries.

In return, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged on Wednesday to increase humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and promised that the 27-nation bloc would stand "by the Afghan people".

"We must do everything we can to avoid the real danger there of massive famine and humanitarian catastrophe," she said in her annual State of the Union address. "We will do everything we can and will once again increase humanitarian aid to Afghanistan by 100 million euros."


Women, the West and the army

In addition, the foreign minister in the Afghan caretaker government called for not linking politics and humanitarian aid.

In his first press conference, Amir Khan Muttaki affirmed commitment not to use the territory of Afghanistan against any country, and rejected foreign interference in his country's affairs.

He stressed that Afghanistan wants to build good and friendly relations with the countries of the world.

He said, "America is a big country, and it must be patient. The money of the Afghan people should not be frozen and treated in this harsh way. We want good bilateral ties and relations with the countries of the world. We also ask countries not to interfere in our affairs and not to be pressured. The policy of pressure did not work." For 20 years, and it will not work after that either. The best way to build relations is diplomacy, and the stability of Afghanistan is in everyone's interest."

The Afghan foreign minister pointed out that the United States had not fulfilled its promise to remove the names of Taliban leaders on its blacklist, and considered this a violation of the Doha agreement.

In another matter, Mottaki said that foreign countries' concerns about human rights in Afghanistan are illogical, and stressed that the government is committed to those rights.

Mottaki added that the movement will allow women to work in all fields in accordance with Islamic law, noting that reaching this across the country may take some time.

In turn, the acting Afghan army chief said that the new government will not allow anyone to destabilize the country and "we will stand against anyone who disturbs security."

He revealed that consultations are underway to form a new strong army whose mission is to protect Afghanistan only.

"We will start consultations with former officials," he pledged.

Historical Relations

In Paris, French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly confirmed - before the Defense Committee in the House of Representatives - that there is no scenario for French military intervention in Afghanistan.

This hearing was held to assess the evacuation carried out by Paris after the recent developments in Afghanistan.

Parly explained that there is a dialogue between Paris and a number of its partners, including Qatar, describing the relationship between the two countries as very important and that this partnership is not new.

"We see very well that the relationship with Qatar is not new because France has a history of this partnership with Qatar and it is very important to confront the current situation," she said.