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Blinken and Qatari FM discuss Afghanistan on sidelines of ASEAN summit
The foreign ministers of Qatar and the United States met Thursday on the sidelines of the meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Cambodia and discussed the situation in Afghanistan.
In this meeting, Doha-Washington bilateral cooperation, developments in Afghanistan, the latest developments related to the Iran nuclear agreement negotiations, as well as some common regional and international issues were discussed.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani discussed the joint relations between Doha and Washington and the developments in Afghanistan.
“It’s a great pleasure, as always, to be with my friend, the foreign minister of Qatar, who we have spent a lot of time together in various parts of the world and on the phone, and I think this is evidence of the very close partnership between Qatar and the United States on a broad range of both regional and global issues. We had an opportunity to just spend some time talking about a number of them, to include Afghanistan, to include Iran, to include some other regional issues, and of course to talk a little bit about the work that we’re doing here in Cambodia,” said Blinken.
The latest developments related to the Iran nuclear agreement negotiations, as well as some regional and international common issues, were other issues that have been discussed between the two Qatari and US counterparts.
“I think the world events requires consultation between both of us, especially what’s going on in our region. I think our discussion today is very important for the security for – for the security of our region. And we really appreciate the relationship and the partnership and the commitment that the U.S. has toward our region,” said Al-Thani.
What the US officials had previously announced was that Qatar has the role of protecting US interests in Afghanistan, and including the American Embassy, the embassies of most Western countries that were in Kabul after the fall of the former regime in Afghanistan moved their activities to Doha, the capital of Qatar.
This meeting took place after the claim that the leader of al-Qaeda was killed in an attack by the US drone in Kabul. Although it is not yet clear which country this plane took off from, but Qatar, which is the guardian of US interests in Afghanistan, has not reacted to this attack so far.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
The Islamic Emirate has announced that it will not participate in the upcoming meeting of special envoys of regional countries on Afghanistan, scheduled to be held in Tehran, despite having received an invitation.
In a statement, Zia Ahmad Takal, Head of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Islamic Emirate has maintained continuous and active engagement with all regional countries through various organizations, regional formats, and bilateral mechanisms, achieving notable progress in promoting mutual understanding and regional cooperation.
The statement added that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes regional cooperation should be advanced by strengthening existing mechanisms and formats within the region.
Tehran is set to host the meeting next week, with special envoys from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia expected to attend.
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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