KABUL: A Taliban government delegation arrived in Japan yesterday for a rare diplomatic visit outside the region, marking its first official trip to the country.
The delegation, which left Kabul on Saturday, includes officials from the ministries of higher education, foreign affairs, and economy. The visit is expected to last a week.
“We seek dignified interaction with the world for a strong, united, advanced, prosperous, developed Afghanistan and to be an active member of the international community,” tweeted Latif Nazari, a deputy economy minister in the delegation.
While the Taliban regularly engages with neighbouring and regional countries like China, Russia, and Central Asian states, its only official European diplomatic visits took place in Norway in 2022 and 2023.
Japan relocated its embassy in Kabul to Qatar after the Taliban takeover in 2021 but has since reopened it and resumed diplomatic and humanitarian activities.
During their stay, the Afghan delegation is expected to meet Japanese officials, Japan’s NHK reported, citing Afghan diplomatic sources.
Japan’s foreign ministry has yet to comment on the visit. – AFP
