UN Security Council extends Afghanistan Sanctions Monitoring Group’s mandate for one year
The United Nations Security Council, by adopting a resolution, extended the mandate of the Council’s Analytical Support and Monitoring Group on Sanctions against Afghanistan for another year.
The United States, which was responsible for drafting the resolution, stated that it considers the monitoring team’s assessments to be very valuable.
Tommy Bruce, the Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations, called on the Islamic Emirate to end what Washington calls its hostage-taking policy and emphasized that the monitoring team’s reports, especially on the fight against terrorism and the Islamic Emirate’s human rights record, especially the situation of women and girls, are of great importance because these factors directly affect the security and stability of Afghanistan and the region.
The Russian representative to the UN emphasized the need to maintain communication between the experts of the monitoring team and the Islamic Emirate and supported the possibility of the team’s trip to Kabul.
Anna Ustignieva, Deputy Representative of Russia, said that the text of the resolution includes items that are not directly related to the implementation of the 1988 sanctions regime and the mission of the monitoring team, and that the attempt by some countries to shift the focus from core issues such as the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking to the human rights situation is an unconstructive move.
China also voted in favor of extending the mission and called for the establishment of permanent travel exemption for officials of the Islamic Emirate.
Chinese representative Fu Kong called on the Islamic Emirate to continue its serious fight against terrorism, adding that as a first step, permanent exemption from the travel ban for officials related to the Afghan government should be restored as soon as possible to facilitate its international interactions and communications.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not yet made an official comment on this matter, but it has repeatedly called for the complete lifting of sanctions.
