Taliban officials will attend a third round of UN-hosted talks on Afghanistan in the Qatari capital, a government spokesman said on Sunday, after they turned down an invitation to a previous round of talks.

The participation of the Taliban government in the conference of foreign special envoys to Afghanistan was in doubt after it was not included in the first round and then rejected the second round of invitation in February.

“A delegation from the Islamic Emirate will attend the upcoming Doha conference. They will represent Afghanistan there and express Afghanistan’s position,” Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.

The talks will be held in Doha on June 30 and July 1.

Mujahid told Afghan media on Sunday that a delegation – which has not yet been announced – would attend as the agenda of the talks appeared to be “beneficial for Afghanistan”.

He said the agenda includes topics such as “aid to Afghanistan and creating opportunities for investors in Afghanistan, which are important.”

Civil society groups, including women, were invited to the February talks, but the Taliban government refused to attend unless its members became the sole representatives of Afghanistan.

It also requested a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Guterres said in a statement after the February talks that the conditions for participation were “not acceptable,” but delegates expect Taliban officials to attend future meetings.

There are plans to hold consultations with civil society groups before and after the third round, diplomatic sources told AFP.

Sources said the talks would cover finance and economic issues as well as anti-drug efforts.

Several civil society groups have also urged the UN to prioritise women’s rights issues at the meeting.

Following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the international community has struggled with its approach to Afghanistan’s new government, which is not recognised by any other state.

The Taliban government has imposed a strict interpretation of Islam, under which women are subjected to laws described by the United Nations as “gender apartheid”.