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UN chief urges international community to maintain dialogue with Taliban

Our duty is to extend our solidarity to a people who suffer greatly, where millions and millions risk dying of hunger, Antonio Guterres said

PARIS, September 10. /TASS/. The international community should be engaged in dialogue with the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) after they took over Afghanistan, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in an interview with AFP published on Friday.

"We must maintain a dialogue with the Taliban, where we affirm our principles directly - a dialogue with a feeling of solidarity with the Afghan people," he said. "Our duty is to extend our solidarity to a people who suffer greatly, where millions and millions risk dying of hunger."

The Taliban launched a large-scale operation to regain control over Afghanistan after the United States announced the withdrawal of its military personnel from the country. On August 15, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and fled the country, while the Taliban forces swept into Kabul, meeting no resistance. US service members fully withdrew from Afghanistan last week, ending their 20-year presence in the country.