G20 Virtual Meeting on Afghanistan

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said at the 76th UN General Assembly that he had a useful conversation with the G20 foreign ministers and heads of international organizations on Afghanistan.
He added that the international community is united in its expectations of the Taliban to abide by their commitments.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said the world must take a united approach to the Taliban.
A State Department spokesman said the Taliban should receive a united message from the international community on the fight against terrorism, humanitarian aid and access, the safe exit of those seeking to leave Afghanistan, and the inclusive government.
He added that the G20 meeting at the UN General Assembly helped advance this effort.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the need to establish mechanisms to inject cash into the Afghan economy to prevent it from collapsing, resulting in the mass exodus of refugees and instability throughout the region.
The UN Secretary-General stressed that the United Nations must provide the conditions for the Taliban to be exempted from certain sanctions and for humanitarian aid to be effectively distributed in Afghanistan.
“I have requested that some exemptions be issued to make operational aspects possible,” Guterres said. Due to operational reasons, some exemptions will need to be applied to some of the sanctions in order to provide the necessary grounds for the effective distribution of humanitarian aid.
The Portuguese diplomat added that it is up to the Security Council to consider whether a UN roadmap is needed to issue the exemptions.