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US Treasury’s Adeyemo, Qatari leaders discuss Afghanistan humanitarian needs
U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo and senior Qatari leaders this week discussed their shared interest in meeting the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement on Friday.
According to the Treasury, Adeyemo traveled to Doha, Qatar on Thursday and met Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani and other high-ranking officials.
According to the statement, Adeyemo also discussed equitable growth, recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunities and challenges posed by virtual assets, and the United States’ shared interest in meeting the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people.
Last week the United States and Qatar agreed that Qatar will represent the diplomatic interests of the United States in Afghanistan.
Qatar signed an arrangement last Friday assuming the role of “protecting power” for U.S. interests to help facilitate any formal communication between Washington and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government in Afghanistan, which the United States does not recognize.
The move comes at a time when the United States and other Western countries are grappling with how to engage with the IEA after they took over Afghanistan in a lightning advance in August as U.S.-led forces were withdrawing after two decades of war.
Sources close to Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani tell Ariana News that the U.S. government has removed bounties on several Islamic Emirate officials.
According to the sources, those no longer on the list include Sirajuddin Haqqani, Abdul Aziz Haqqani, and Yahya Haqqani.
Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, and Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Saturday to address ongoing trade and transit challenges, stressing the importance of preventing political tensions from impacting economic ties, the ministry said in a statement.
The two officials focused on finalizing the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and resolving issues related to the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA), the statement read.
The meeting also discussed the upcoming visit of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister to Afghanistan and a planned visit by an Islamic Emirate delegation to Pakistan.
The ministry hailed Sadiq’s visit to Kabul as a positive step, with Azizi emphasizing its constructive role in enhancing bilateral trade relations.
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq met on Saturday and discussed bilateral relations, political and economic cooperation, security and transit, said Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at Foreign Ministry in a statement.
In this meeting, Muttaqi emphasized that obstacles to trade and transit are not in anyone’s interest and that certain issues should not be linked together.
He added that the process of Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan should be carried out gradually and with dignity.
According to the statement, Pakistan’s special representative also acknowledged that ensuring security in Afghanistan benefits both Pakistan and the region.
He committed to introducing measures to facilitate the visa issuance process for Afghan citizens.
Mohammad Sadiq also stated that practical steps will be taken to resolve existing trade and transit challenges.
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