Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said that Qatar is working with its American and European partners to provide assistance to the Afghan people and alleviate their suffering, while meetings were held in Doha between a delegation from the Taliban movement and representatives of the European Union to discuss ways to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The Qatari minister made it clear during a panel discussion yesterday, Wednesday, at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in the British capital, London, that Qatar urges the Taliban to carry out reforms and not to erase the achievements made in Afghanistan in the past two decades.
"It is important to continue dealing with the Taliban because they run a country and we must ensure that we continue to encourage them to engage with the international community," he said, adding that "one of the most important challenges in Afghanistan is that the financial system is paralyzed."
The Qatari official added that "Qatar alone cannot help the economy of Afghanistan," stressing that "this requires the cooperation of the international community."
Contacts and meetings in Doha
In the same context, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had a telephone conversation with his American counterpart Anthony Blinken.
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the call touched upon the latest developments in the Afghan file, in its security and political aspects, and the nuclear talks with Iran, in addition to exchanging views on developments on the regional and international arena.
On the other hand, a delegation from the caretaker government in Afghanistan - led by the Taliban - said in a statement that the US Chargé d'Affairs, John Johnson, explained to a delegation from the movement that US President Joe Biden's statements on the issue of distributing Afghan funds frozen in the United States were misinterpreted in the media. .
The statement added that the US official confirmed that work is underway to establish a mechanism to ensure allocating part of those funds to Bank "Da Afghanistan".
Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki said it was "unacceptable to spend the frozen funds on humanitarian aid or compensation."
The Taliban delegation stated that it also discussed with representatives of the European Union in Doha the humanitarian and economic situation and human rights.
In its statement, the delegation added that the international community expressed its readiness to take effective steps in the field of humanitarian assistance.
Qatari-Afghan meeting
Two delegations from the State of Qatar and the Afghan caretaker government also held a meeting to discuss strengthening cooperation in several areas, especially development and relief.
The Qatar News Agency (QNA) stated that the meeting was chaired by the Qatari side, Lulwa bint Rashid Al-Khater, Assistant Foreign Minister, and from the Afghan side, Amir Khan Muttaki, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs in the caretaker government.
She said that during the meeting, they discussed ways to develop cooperation in the field of education, especially with regard to qualifying teachers and providing educational opportunities for Afghan students of both sexes, in the fields of Arabic language, Islamic education, economy, agriculture and technology sciences.
firm measures
In a related context, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Wednesday for the adoption of firm measures to confront the economic and humanitarian crises in Afghanistan.
This came in his speech during an open discussion session at the UN Security Council, which was held at the request of Russia, which holds the presidency of the council this February.
"Without resolute action, the severe economic downturn, rising unemployment and escalating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan will fuel despair and extremism," the Secretary-General said.
The session focused on cooperation between the United Nations and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which was established in 1992 and includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The countries of the world are still reluctant to recognize the Taliban government, and link this to the behavior of the movement, especially respect for human rights.