It was the Taliban's first official visit to Europe since they took power in Afghanistan last August.

For three days, the delegation, led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, met the representatives of the USA and several European countries, including Germany, in a conference hotel near Oslo.

For the first day, the Norwegian hosts had put a round of talks with representatives of Afghan civil society on the agenda, including several women's rights activists.

Alexander Haneke

Editor in Politics.

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A "joint statement" circulated by the Taliban after Sunday's meeting said the participants listened patiently to one another and exchanged views.

The women's rights activist Jamila Afghani praised the open atmosphere of the talks to the AFP news agency.

The Taliban had shown good will, now one has to see "what their deeds are that follow their words".

Release of women's rights activists demanded

Another topic was the fate of two missing Afghan women's rights activists, whose release Amnesty International called for on Tuesday.

Tamana Zaryab Pariani and Parawana Ibrahimkhel had taken part in several protests in Kabul in recent weeks and were allegedly abducted by security forces.

However, a Taliban representative denied on Monday to the Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the Islamists had arrested the women and held them captive.

Even a good five months after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, their interim government is still not officially recognized by any other state.

The country is suffering from a devastating supply crisis, also because Western countries have largely stopped their aid payments.

The Taliban are still listed as a terrorist organization by the US, the United Nations and the EU and are subject to sanctions.

The United States also froze $9.5 billion in foreign exchange reserves held by the Afghan government.

In addition to the American special envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West, representatives of the US Treasury Department, which is responsible for the sanctions against the Taliban, also took part in Oslo.

West named the formation of a representative political system, solutions to the humanitarian and economic crisis as well as security and human rights issues as the most important issues, especially women's rights and school education for girls.

Germany's special representative for Afghanistan, Jasper Wieck, took part in the talks.