Qatar will continue to play its role as an impartial mediator to enhance international agreement over Afghanistan, His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs affirmed.
In a joint press conference with Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom Dominic Raab, HE Sheikh Mohammed stressed that Qatar will continue to coordinate with all friendly countries to ensure the interests of Afghanistan and its people.
He highlighted that his talks with the UK Secretary of State focused mainly on Afghanistan where the two sides evaluated the security and political developments in the country.
They also looked into the challenges and how to address them, he said, adding that the two sides share similar views regarding how to deal with these developments.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that Qatar will continue efforts as impartial mediator to enhance international agreement over Afghanistan, and will continue coordinate with friendly countries to ensure interests of Afghanistan and its people. #QNA pic.twitter.com/EwSgbGGoPi
— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) September 2, 2021
Sheikh Mohammed also mentioned that he reviewed with the UK Secretary of State the outcomes of the latest meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the framework of the meeting of the foreign ministers of the group of 7, and how to build international agreement on Afghanistan.
The talks emphasized the significance of unifying efforts to protect civilians, provide safe passages, and ensure the freedom of movement, he said.
Additionally, the importance of cooperation to counter-terrorism and ensure that Afghanistan, in the future, is not a destabilizing factor in the region, was discussed.
On restarting operations at Kabul Airport and Qatar's role in that regard, His Excellency said that the evaluation process is still ongoing. They are currently studying whether Qatar's support will help make a difference in resuming operations at the airport sooner, he mentioned.
Qatar is in contact with the Taliban regarding the issues and threats in restarting operations at the airport, Sheikh Mohammed said, expressing his optimism that they will be able to restart operations as soon as possible.
HE the FM said that the subject represents a great indicator if the Taliban honored its commitment to providing a safe passage to those who want to leave Afghanistan, including Afghan citizens, stressing that the State of Qatar is sparing no effort in communicating with the Taliban.
He also noted that there was constant communication with the Turkish side to discuss whether they could provide technical help in that regard.
My colleague @DominicRaab and I toured the temporary housing facilities of the Afghan guests, who are transiting #Doha to their final destinations. I’m proud of the efforts of MOFA team and their colleagues from national authorities. Their honorable work reflects Qatari values. pic.twitter.com/txxsc84FUy
— محمد بن عبدالرحمن (@MBA_AlThani_) September 2, 2021
On his part, the UK Secretary of State Dominic Raab hailed Qatar's role in Afghanistan and its support of the United Kingdom's evacuation operations in Afghanistan.
Qatar has played an exceptional role in supporting the United Kingdom in implementing the process of safe transit for about 17,000 from Afghanistan, which is the largest operation of its kind in the UK's history, Raab said.
He further mentioned that he visited the compound that hosts Afghan refugees in Doha, expressing his country's readiness to receive those who want to seek asylum in the United Kingdom.
Regarding his meetings in Doha, the UK Secretary of State highlighted that the discussions covered bilateral relations between Qatar and the UK, however, the Afghan issue took center stage in the talks.
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