G7 leaders will discuss the crisis in Afghanistan on Tuesday in a virtual summit, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Sunday, a week after the Taliban retook power. “It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years,” Johnson tweeted.
The United Kingdom currently occupies the chair of the grouping of wealthy nations comprising Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, and Johnson has been pushing for a meeting for the past week. Meanwhile, the United States president is facing a lot of criticism over his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan leading to Taliban coming back to power. US President Joe Biden will meet G7 leaders virtually on Tuesday to discuss Afghanistan issue amid deep unease in allies over his withdrawal decision. Biden told reporters on Friday that he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken would work with other countries to set “harsh conditions” for any cooperation with or recognition of the Taliban, based on their treatment of women and girls and overall human rights record. The Western allies have faced mounting criticism over their handling of the crisis in Afghanistan amid chaotic scenes as thousands of Afghans and foreigners try to flee Kabul following the Taliban’s return to power. Following a virtual meeting Thursday G7 foreign ministers urged the Taliban to provide safe passage for those trying to flee the capital, the bloc’s first formal statement on the crisis. Western governments are discussing how to handle the situation in Kabul where thousands of civilians desperate to flee have descended on the airport.
