The Qatari Emiri Diwan said that the Emir of the country, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, received a phone call on Friday evening from US President Joe Biden, during which they discussed developments in the region, especially the latest developments in Afghanistan.
A statement by the Amiri Diwan added that the two sides "stressed the need to protect civilians, the peaceful transfer of power, easing tension, and arriving at a comprehensive political solution to ensure security and stability for the benefit of the Afghan people."
According to the statement, the US President expressed his thanks to the State of Qatar "for its contribution to the evacuation of civilians and its efforts in the peace process in Afghanistan."
HH The Emir receives a phone call from His Excellency President Joe Biden, President of the friendly United States of America. https://t.co/a0ULgaXIVg
— The Amiri Diwan (@AmiriDiwan) August 20, 2021
On the other hand, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lolwa Al-Khater said that the evacuations from Afghanistan are continuing.
And she added in a tweet on Twitter, that during the past 72 hours, more than 300 people, most of them female students, and more than 200 media professionals, were evacuated.
She added that many of them were accompanied by their families and children, and became safe in their places of residence in Doha.
In the same context, the New York Times said that it coordinated with the Qatari government to evacuate Afghan journalists and their families outside Kabul.
She noted that the evacuations included Afghan journalists working for the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.
She added that the three newspapers sent calls to the US administration, the White House, the Pentagon and the US State Department to facilitate the evacuation of Afghan journalists with the help of the State of Qatar.
I can only speak on Qatar evacuation missions, they will continue!
In the past 72 hours we evacuated over 300 mostly female students & over 200 media personnel;
many of them with their families & kids who are now safe in comfortable accommodation in Doha.
https://t.co/0F6yeFFDPX pic.twitter.com/L6IAoVraNS
— Lolwah Alkhater (@Lolwah_Alkhater) August 20, 2021
In turn, the Government Communications Office in Qatar said that Doha is working with the United Nations, Washington and international partners to secure safe passage for civilians, journalists and diplomats out of Afghanistan.
The office indicated that the Qatari armed forces began evacuating hundreds of Afghan civilians, including families, women, children, academics and journalists.
He added that Doha believes that a comprehensive political settlement that guarantees stability and security in Afghanistan will only be achieved through diplomacy and dialogue.
Qatar also stressed the importance of quickly reaching this settlement while preserving the gains and not compromising the security of the Afghan people.