A second Afghan embassy says it will close after the Taliban withdrew recognition

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan’s embassy in Norway is to close on Thursday, its occupants said, the second of the country’s diplomatic missions to announce closure this week.

It follows a statement from the Taliban at the end of July saying they would no longer recognize Afghan missions abroad set up by the former, Western-backed government in Kabul, including the embassy in Oslo.

In a statement on the social media platform X, the embassy announced the closure would take place on Thursday.

“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, like many other political and consular missions of Afghanistan, will continue its activities with the values of human rights, pluralism and peace, despite the many difficulties and limited resources,” the statement said.

The embassy premises in Oslo would be handed over to Norway’s Foreign Ministry, according to the statement in Dari.

The Norwegian ministry said the move was “not a normalization” of Oslo’s relationship with the Taliban, who have not been recognized by any country as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan since they seized power in 2021.

“Norway has been clear that we will not normalize relations with Afghanistan until they comply with the country’s international obligations and improve the situation for human rights, especially for women and girls,” the ministry told The Associated Press in an email.

The Norwegians said the building remains the property of the Afghan state “regardless of who actually rules the country. Norway will handle the situation in line with international law.”

The Norwegian Embassy to Afghanistan was created in December 2001 but has since been moved to Islamabad in neighboring Pakistan “because of the security situation,” the foreign ministry said on its website.

The U.K. government said on Monday that the Afghan embassy in London would close on Sept. 27, following the dismissal of its staff by the Taliban authorities in Kabul.

Diplomats who served under the former Afghan government were left in limbo when the Taliban captured Kabul and returned to power in August 2021. Many embassies in Europe and beyond continued to operate, but have been accused by the Taliban in Kabul of failing to cooperate with the authorities.

The Taliban have sent ambassadors or diplomats to most countries in the region, including China and the United Arab Emirates.

The Taliban were not available for comment on the Oslo and London embassy closures.

___ Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report.