Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday urged the Taliban to adopt an inclusive approach to governance and to respect human values, while calling on the international community not to abandon the Afghan people.

Speaking on the opening day of the UN General Assembly, Erdogan was the only world leader to address Afghanistan directly.

He reiterated that international support for Afghans is essential and pledged that Türkiye will continue to stand with the country’s people.

For nearly four years, regional and international actors have pressed the Taliban to form a representative government and to recognise the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. The Taliban maintain their administration is inclusive, despite staffing state institutions almost entirely with their own members.

The group has also rejected global calls to uphold human rights, particularly women’s rights, insisting its policies are rooted in Islamic Sharia law.