Malaysia waiting to see international stand on Afghanistan - Saifuddin

The Malaysian government is waiting to see the stand taken on the Taliban government in Afghanistan by international bodies like the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) before deciding on its own stand on the matter.

Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said Malaysia has yet to take a decision on recognising the Taliban government in Afghanistan and is taking a cautious approach on the matter.

“For the time being there is no indication to recognise the Taliban government and we don’t want to take any hasty decision,” he said during a press conference after delivering the Foreign Ministry’s 2022 New Year message in Putrajaya yesterday.

On humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, Saifuddin pointed out that Malaysia had already pledged US$100,000 to the United Nations for the purpose.

Apart from that, a number of Malaysian NGOs have also extended assistance to Afghanistan, among them the Global Peace Mission Malaysia (GPM) being the earliest to enter the country after the withdrawal of US forces.

The Taliban reclaimed Afghanistan last August, after the withdrawal of US and Nato forces. The country’s president Ashraf Ghani also fled the country as the Taliban returned to rule.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin in his message suggested that it was high time for the ministry to pay attention to emerging countries or new economies that were not badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among them were the former Soviet states and the Caspian Sea region.

“There are also several government-linked companies (GLCs) that are looking at the ex-Soviet states and the Caspian region, and other small countries that we don’t see as important but the GLCs are optimistic of these countries in future,” he said.

- Bernama