G7 foreign ministers call for ‘shared mission’ to prevent crisis from escalating in Afghanistan

“The G7 Ministers call on the international community to come together with a shared mission to prevent the crisis in Afghanistan escalating,” a statement from the British foreign minister Dominic Raab said.

The G7 group of countries on Thursday called for a “united response” from the international community in response to the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. “The G7 Ministers call on the international community to come together with a shared mission to prevent the crisis in Afghanistan escalating,” a statement by the British foreign minister Dominic Raab, after a meeting of the foreign ministers of the G7 nations, noted.

G7 called for the militants to guarantee safe passage to Afghan nationals and foreigners who want to leave the country. In picture - US soldiers stand guard as Afghan people wait to board a military aircraft to leave Afghanistan at the airport in Kabul. (AFP)

The meeting was chaired by Raab, in which the foreign ministers of member nations the US, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada, took part. Notably, most member nations of the G7 are involved in the evacuation of their embassy staff, diplomats and civilians in Afghanistan.

In the statement, the G7 foreign ministers further said “The crisis in Afghanistan requires an international response including intensive engagement on the critical questions facing Afghanistan and the region: with the Afghans most affected, parties to the conflict, the UN Security Council, the G20, international donors, and with Afghanistan’s regional neighbours.”

The group also said that the ministers would work towards an “inclusive political settlement, enable life-saving humanitarian assistance and support in Afghanistan and the region, and prevent any further loss of life in Afghanistan and to the international community from terrorism.”

Further, the leaders also urged the Taliban to hold true to their commitments on protecting the civilians in the country and expressed concerns about reports of violence in parts of the country. They also called for the militants to guarantee safe passage to Afghan nationals and foreigners who want to leave the country.

“G7 Ministers discussed the importance of the international community providing safe and legal resettlement routes. They concurred that the Taliban must ensure that Afghanistan does not become host to a terrorist threat to international security,” the statement further said.