German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says the international community must make the Taliban government in Afghanistan aware that it is going in the wrong direction.
"Our influence on what happens inside Afghanistan is very limited. It depends on the Taliban making rational choices in their own economic interest, and that is not what they are doing right now," Baerbock said on June 7 during a visit to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
"It is not the Afghan people's fault that their government was overthrown by the Taliban," she added, while warning of a possible humanitarian disaster in the war-torn country.
The Taliban took control of the country in August 2021 as international forces withdrew from Afghanistan following two decades of fighting.
Most of the world's countries do not recognize the Taliban-led government amid concerns that the militants are not living up to their promises of respecting human rights.
However, on March 17, the United Nations Security Council voted to establish official ties with Afghanistan.
Hours after the statement, Baerbock was forced to cancel the rest of her meetings in Pakistan and cut her trip short after testing positive for the coronavirus.
"Baerbock had a positive screening test after lunch today after noticing a loss of taste," the German Foreign Ministry said on Twitter, adding she had tested negative as recently as earlier in the morning on June 7.
Pakistan was the first stop on Baerbock's tour, which was also scheduled to stop in Greece and Turkey.