As the US completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan consequently after Doha agreement signed in February 2020 and following the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country on August 15, the significant role played by the State of Qatar in the Afghan issue has entered a new phase.
Qatar played a key role not only in bringing the warring parties on table of talks but also in intensive global efforts over the past weeks to evacuate tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan.
According to news reports, around 170,000 people belonging to 11 countries were evacuated where the US alone evacuated over 122,000 since August 14. Around 40% of them transited through Qatar. Qatar Airways also provided 10 aircraft to transport evacuees from its capital, Doha, to other countries.
This supportive stand and generosity prompted many leaders of the world to express their appreciation and thanks to the Amir H H Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, including President Joe Biden who personally noted that the US-led airlift would not have been possible without Qatar’s support facilitating the transfer of thousands of people daily.
Thanks to the good will of Qatar’s leadership and their mediation policy that maintained cordial ties with different parties, Qatar is being asked by heavyweight actors like the G7 members to help shape what is next step for Afghanistan after the last US troop left Kabul in the last minutes of Monday night.
The State of Qatar took part in the virtual Ministerial Meeting of the G7 countries, Turkey, the European Union and Nato on Afghanistan on Monday.
The participants expressed their thanks to the State of Qatar for its continuous efforts to achieve stability in Afghanistan and preserve the rights of the Afghan people.
The meeting reviewed the latest developments of the humanitarian, security and political situation in Afghanistan and the international efforts necessary to ensure a peaceful transition of power that guarantees the protection of civilians and preserves the gains and rights of the Afghan people.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in the meeting, stressed the importance of addressing the situation in Afghanistan in a realistic way and setting up incentives in order to ensure a peaceful transfer of power that preserves the basic rights of the Afghan people.
He also stressed the necessity of the cooperation of all international actors in the transitional period in Afghanistan, and Qatar’s readiness to cooperate with everyone to promote regional and international consensus in order to achieve security and stability in Afghanistan.
