Qatar has urged the world against turning its backs on Afghanistan and its Taliban rulers. The ruler of the nation, which has played a pivotal role in Afghanistan in the wake of the US withdrawal, was speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stressed that continuing dialogue with the Taliban was necessary because “boycott only leads to polarization and reactions, whereas dialogue could bring in positive results.”

This comes as many countries are worried about engaging with the Taliban and recognising their takeover of Afghanistan.

The Taliban say they want international recognition and have challenged the credentials of Afghanistan’s former UN ambassador. The group’s designated Foreign Minister asked the UN for permission to speak at the General Assembly’s high-level meeting of world leaders. According to the Taliban, it is the responsibility of the United Nations to recognise their government and for other countries to have diplomatic relations with them.

Senior State Department officials said they were aware of the Taliban’s request as the US is a member of the UN credentials committee, but they would not predict how that panel might rule. However, one of the officials said the committee “would take some time to deliberate,” suggesting that the Taliban’s envoy would not be able to speak at the General Assembly at this session, at least during the high-level leaders’ week, the Associated Press reported.

No nation has formally recognised the Taliban’s ascension to power or its all-male Cabinet. The group has said this exclusively Taliban-run Cabinet is only interim, offering hope that a future government could be more inclusive.

Sheikh Tamim said Qatar agreed years ago to host the Taliban’s political leadership in exile because “we were confident that war offers no solution and that there would be dialogue in the end.”

Qatar is a close US ally and hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East, but the tiny Gulf Arab state also has some sway with the Taliban. Because of its unique role, Qatar hosted direct US-Taliban talks around the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and helped facilitate evacuations from Kabul.

Now, countries like the US and Japan have relocated their diplomatic staff in Afghanistan to Qatar to continue diplomacy from there. Qatar is also assisting with the facilitation of needed humanitarian aid and with operations at Kabul airport.

Sheikh Tamim on Tuesday urged against repeating past mistakes in Afghanistan “to impose a political system from outside.”

“Regardless of intentions, efforts made and money invested, this experience in Afghanistan has collapsed after 20 years,” Sheikh Tamim said.

The 41-year-old leader said the international community must continue to support Afghanistan at this critical stage and “to separate humanitarian aid from political differences.” Afghanistan is among the world’s poorest countries and receives billions of dollars in foreign aid a year, though that could change with the US-backed government out of power and the Taliban now in charge.

(With inputs from the Associated Press)