Islamabad: The State of Qatar participated yesterday in Islamabad in the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers on Afghanistan, which was called for by the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi chaired the delegation of the State of Qatar to the meeting.
In the State of Qatar’s speech before the meeting, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs stressed the State of Qatar’s keenness on security, stability, and development in Afghanistan, noting that it had made unremitting efforts to achieve this goal since its sponsorship of the direct dialogue between the United States and the Taliban, which culminated in the signing of the Doha Agreement in February 2020 and marked the beginning of the path towards ending the fighting and starting to build sustainable peace in Afghanistan.
He pointed out that the State of Qatar will continue to perform its humanitarian duty towards the brotherly Afghan people, as medical and food aid continues to reach the Afghan people from the State of Qatar, adding that Qatar has also contributed to establishing an airlift that helped evacuate thousands of people from Afghanistan.
The Afghans are proud people, who cherish their independence and are rich in cultural heritage and worthy of full support, he underlined.
Al Muraikhi stressed that the OIC countries and members of the international community bear a great responsibility towards Afghanistan, particularly ensuring the delivery of humanitarian and relief aid, especially with the onset of winter.
He said that Qatar encourages all countries and international organisations to provide assistance, and urges the international community to continue dealing with Afghanistan, as communication is the only way to move forward in building stability, eliminating terrorism, and respecting human rights.
It is very important to continue the work of the Afghan state agencies, maintain infrastructure, continue providing health and education services, as this would contribute to the process of building confidence, he said.
The Minister renewed the call of the State of Qatar to have a unified international position and a road map that clarifies the required steps for the Afghanistan government including fulfilling its international obligations in line with the international community expectations and without imposing guardianship and also clarifies the responsibilities of the international community towards rebuilding and achieving stability in Afghanistan.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs underscored the State of Qatar’s firm position in supporting sincere efforts to reach a settlement of the Palestinian issue and achieve peace in the Middle East.
He stressed that the success of any initiative to find a just solution for the Palestinian issue requires adhering to international law, United Nations resolutions, agreed references, the principle of land for peace, and the Arab Peace Initiative and carried out through negotiation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
He expressed Qatar’s hope that the OIC, as the collective voice of the Islamic nation, would play an active role in restoring stability and achieving development in Afghanistan.
Al Muraikhi thanked Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan H E Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi for the invitation to participate in this important meeting called by the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which reflects the will of the OIC member states to achieve peace, security, and stability in Afghanistan.
He welcomed OIC Secretary-General H E Hissein Brahim Taha, wishing him success in his tasks.
