The US envoy for peace in Afghanistan held separate negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha, with the Qatari foreign minister and the Afghan government delegation, while the US State Department confirmed that there are ongoing talks with Turkey for cooperation in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government delegation to the Doha negotiations with the Taliban said that "the president and members of the delegation met in the Qatari capital, the US envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad."
The delegation added in its Twitter account that they discussed with Khalilzad the peace process and the obstacles it faces, stressing the need to solve these problems as soon as possible.
The delegation noted that the US envoy renewed Washington's support for the peace process in Afghanistan.
In turn, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said that "Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, discussed with Khalilzad the latest developments in the region, especially in Afghanistan."
The ministry added that during the meeting, they reviewed the commitment of the State of Qatar to encourage Afghan dialogue and work to facilitate peace talks until a just and lasting political settlement is reached in Afghanistan.
Before traveling to Doha, the US special envoy to Afghanistan announced that the US military intervention in Afghanistan was nearing its end, stressing that negotiating a settlement is the only solution to achieve peace in Afghanistan.
He added that the United States will actively work with all Afghan parties and regional and international stakeholders to try to help both sides find a way to end this war, ensuring Afghanistan's security, unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and ending the suffering of the Afghan people.
With Qatari mediation, on September 12, 2020, historic peace negotiations were launched in Doha between the Afghan government and the Taliban, with the support of the United States, to end 42 years of armed conflict.
Before that, Qatar played the role of mediator in negotiations between Washington and the Taliban, which resulted in the signing of a historic agreement in late February 2020 for a gradual US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the exchange of prisoners.
Clashes between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban are escalating, at a time when US forces are withdrawing from the country, as the withdrawal is scheduled to be completed by August 31, according to US President Joe Biden in his speech to the Americans last Thursday.
US-Turkish talks
In a related context, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday that "discussions between the United States and Turkey on security cooperation in Afghanistan are continuing."
This came after Turkey offered to operate and guard Kabul Airport following the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.
The spokesman declined to give further details on how the arrangements for the airport would be managed.
"We certainly welcome Turkey's constructive role in connection with the withdrawal and the broader security situation in Afghanistan," Price said, adding that the two countries were still discussing broader security cooperation in Afghanistan.
In late June, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that it had discussed with a US delegation areas of cooperation regarding the operation of Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital.
At that time, the ministry said in a statement that the two sides discussed areas of cooperation on operating the airport after the end of the NATO "Resolute Support" mission in Afghanistan.