Qatar to act as US diplomatic representative in Afghanistan
The United States and Qatar have agreed that Doha will represent the diplomatic interests of the US in Afghanistan, the first official representation for the US in Kabul since its troop withdrawal in August.
Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed a pair of “strategic” agreements on Friday, providing that Qatar will assume the role of “protecting power” for US interests in Afghanistan.
“Qatar is a crucial partner in promoting regional stability,” Secretary Blinken said in remarks with Al Thani at the State Department in Washington, DC.
The announcement came days after a Qatari delegation had travelled to Washington for talks between the two nations.
Al Thani said: “We are dedicated to contributing to the stability of Afghanistan and the safety and wellbeing of the Afghan people.”
A Qatari official involved in Friday’s agreement said, “It seems like the natural continuation of Qatar’s support for the United States in Afghanistan is to assume ‘protecting power’. This will enable the United States to continue dialogue with the interim government.”
Blinken said the US is “grateful” for support in Afghanistan and called Qatar a “crucial partner” in regional stability.
“Qatar will establish a US interests section within its embassy in Afghanistan to provide certain consular services and monitor the condition and security of US diplomatic facilities in Afghanistan,” Blinken said.
“The second agreement formalises our partnership with Qatar to facilitate the travel of Afghans with US Special Immigrant Visas.”
Qatar forged close ties with the Taliban, hosting the group’s only office outside of Afghanistan in 2013. Its capital, Doha, was the site of Taliban-US negotiations beginning in 2018 that resulted in an agreement signed in February 2020 that led to the withdrawal of US and NATO coalition troops.
That agreement was supposed to lay the groundwork for intra-Afghan talks to lead to an inclusive government. Doha hosted several rounds of talks between representatives from Kabul and the Taliban; however, those did not bear fruit.
The Taliban seized power in Kabul on August 15, after a rapid military advance across Afghanistan as international forces withdrew after 20 years of war.