Abdul Salam Hanafi, the administrative deputy of the Prime Minister of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), on Thursday met with a high-ranking delegation of Uzbekistan’s religious scholars in Kabul.

In the meeting, Mufti Nuruddin Khaliq Nazar, chairman of the Office of Muslims of Uzbekistan, who was heading the delegation, stated that the purpose of their trip to Afghanistan was to strengthen and develop relations between the two countries, saying that Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have religious, historical and cultural commonalities, and considering these commonalities, they can develop and expand their relations in various fields.

Meanwhile, the administrative deputy of the Prime Minister, Abdul Salam Hanafi, called the delegation's visit to Afghanistan a sign of friendship, close relations, neighborliness, and common interests between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

Hanafi added that this trip will make it possible to establish new cooperation between the two countries based on commonalities and take effective steps to strengthen relations.

Khalilah Ali, wife of the late boxing great Mohammad Ali, arrived in Kabul on Thursday to build a sports stadium.

The General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports of Afghanistan said in a statement that the stadium will be named Pirozi (victory). Khalilah Ali will also establish a sports association named “Mohammad Ali”.

This is the third time that Khalilah Ali has visited Afghanistan.

The European Union has allocated €31 million ($33 million) to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to support Afghanistan's health sector.

The EU said in a statement on Thursday that €16 million has been allocated to the WHO and €15 million to UNFPA.

The aid is to improve the provision of quality health services for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, and expand reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health services in Afghanistan.

This union also emphasized that the aid will support mothers, children and teenagers in the remote areas of Afghanistan.

EU described the health condition of pregnant women, babies and children in Afghanistan as dire and added that the death rate among them is at the top of the world list.

Every two hours, a mother dies from preventable complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, the statement said.