The UK delegation held its first meeting with the Taliban

The UK delegation met with Taliban representatives on Tuesday (5) for the first time since the group regained power in Afghanistan in August. Simon Gass, Senior Representative of the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for Change in Afghanistan, and Martin Langdon, Head of the UK Mission in Afghanistan in Doha, attended the meeting in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.

On Twitter, Langdon said the “wide-ranging issues” were addressed at the meeting, including the humanitarian crisis, terrorism, the importance of a safe passage for citizens of the UK and Afghanistan, and the rights of women and girls.

“We are at the beginning, surprisingly, there are differences between us. But these and other difficult challenges await Afghanistan (it is important to see if we can implement and find a common denominator that will serve the interests of the UK and the people of Afghanistan,” Langton pointed out.

According to the Associated Press, the Taliban have expressed interest in maintaining good relations with all countries. “In return, we want the international community to repatriate Afghanistan’s monetary capital to our country,” the group said in a statement, citing US assets frozen in US accounts. Ahead of the meeting with the British, the Taliban met with an Iranian delegation to discuss trade relations.