PARIS, August 29. /TASS/. Dialogue with the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) does not mean their recognition, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday.
"This dialogue is needed for the evacuation," he said in an interview with the TF-1 television channel. "The Taliban controls Kabul and the territory of Afghanistan, so we must maintain discussions. But it doesn’t mean their recognition. We have set conditions to them."
According to the French leader, these conditions concern respect to human rights and the "dignity of Afghan women."
Macron said on Saturday that France had begun talks with the Taliban on the organization of humanitarian operations and the continuation of evacuation from Afghanistan.
After the Biden administration announced the end of its US military operation in Afghanistan and the launch of its troop pullout, the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) embarked on an offensive against Afghan government forces. On August 15, Taliban fighters swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance, and gained full control over the Afghan capital within a few hours. Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent any bloodshed and subsequently fled the country. Vice President Amrullah Saleh said that under the constitution, he becomes "the caretaker president" in the absence of the president and called for armed resistance against the Taliban. Western nations are in the process of evacuating their citizens and embassy staff.