HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met today with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Heiko Maas, who is currently visiting the country.
During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral cooperation relations between the two countries, and the latest field developments in Afghanistan, in both its security and political aspects.
His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a press conference held today, with His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, expressed the position of the State of Qatar calling on all Afghan parties to form an expanded government that includes all parties, with the necessity of not excluding any party, considering his happiness that this It will be a very important benchmark for the international community.
His Excellency pointed out that during the talks of the State of Qatar with the Taliban, the latter did not show a positive or negative reaction to this issue, pointing in the same context to the Taliban’s assertion of their openness to any proposals.
His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, considered that the issue of international recognition of the Taliban government is not an urgent issue, explaining that the issue of communicating with the Taliban is the important issue now, which is what the friendly and allied countries stress on.
His Excellency referred to the position of the State of Qatar, which believes that the importance now is focused on the issue of communication with the Taliban, based on the Qatari mediation in the talks between them and the United States of America, and facilitating the Afghan-Afghan talks, stressing that the State of Qatar will continue to open channels of communication. With all parties in Afghanistan, whether / the Taliban / or others, hoping that there will be national consensus and the preservation of the gains and rights of the Afghan people.
His Excellency explained that the policy of isolation is not feasible, stressing in this context that the experiences of the past years have proven that the isolation of the Taliban in 1996 led to this situation in which we live.
His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that interaction with the Taliban may lead to positive results. His Excellency continued, “In the last ten days, since the Taliban took control of the capital, Kabul, there has been a great interaction with them in order to organize the evacuation process.” And combating terrorism, and this interaction has led to positive results, and if we start imposing conditions and obstructing this interaction, we will leave a void. The question here is: Who will fill this void?
His Excellency stressed that the policy of the State of Qatar maintains open channels of communication with every party that wants communication and dialogue, stressing that this is the foreign policy pursued by the State of Qatar for decades.
His Excellency urged other countries to continue interacting and communicating with the Taliban, stressing that without this communication, no progress can be reached, whether in the political, economic or social aspect in Afghanistan, noting that this position is the position of the State of Qatar and it is a common position with its allies and partners. also.
Regarding talks related to the management of Kabul Airport, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, indicated that this issue is still in the process of discussion and evaluation, stressing that there are many aspects that need to be evaluated, whether in the security or technical aspect.
He explained that it was not possible to judge now whether or not assistance could be provided.
His Excellency added, “This will become clear in the coming days, but we consider that the issue of reopening the airport is one of the most important issues for Afghanistan in order to achieve one of the commitments mentioned by the Taliban in the past, which is to allow freedom of movement, and we believe that freedom of movement and freedom of movement are among the most important things.” Through which the Taliban can prove to the international community that the situation in Afghanistan is stable, and we believe that this is an important indicator for us in the State of Qatar and is also important for our allies in all countries.
During the conference, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, stressed that his meeting with His Excellency Mr. Heiko Maas, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, was a very important meeting, as the two sides discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and how to develop them, as well as developments. that the region is going through, especially Afghanistan, which gained the largest part of the discussion.
His Excellency pointed out that the two sides agreed on the need to unify international efforts to deal with field developments in the Afghan issue and their repercussions on the international arena. The importance of preserving the gains of the Afghan people.
HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs affirmed that the State of Qatar is ready to cooperate in promoting regional and international consensus in order to achieve stability in Afghanistan, stressing the importance of preserving the basic rights of all spectrums of the Afghan people.
His Excellency indicated that his meeting with the German Foreign Minister discussed how to cooperate and combine efforts to avoid any humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan by providing humanitarian and development aid, stressing the importance of cooperation in the field of combating terrorism.
His Excellency pointed out, during the press conference, that Afghanistan is going through a critical stage, stressing the importance of the Taliban showing cooperation in this field and fulfilling its obligations.
For his part, the German Foreign Minister praised the great role that Qatar played and continues to play during the current Afghan crisis and its humanitarian efforts, which contributed to the evacuation of thousands of people from Afghanistan and transported them to Doha before transporting them to their last destinations.
German Foreign Minister: Leading role for Qatar
He said that the State of Qatar played a leading role in the evacuation process, tangible work, and organizing processions through negotiations with the Taliban, which enabled the transfer of a large number of Germans and Afghan employees who were working with German companies, in addition to other Afghan citizens who were agreed to receive them in Germany.
He stressed that Doha was a strategic center in this process, whether through evacuation operations or negotiations with the Taliban.
The German Foreign Minister stressed that the challenges in Afghanistan are not over, and there are still a large number of people who still have to be evacuated to be transferred to Germany and other countries.
He pointed out that his recent talks, which he held in a number of countries in the region, focused on how to move forward in this process and how to ensure air and land transportation, as this needs coordination with countries neighboring Afghanistan and other countries.
He pointed out that the State of Qatar plays a major role in the field of air transport and evacuations, but the important thing now is to ensure the continued operation of Kabul Airport with the aim of humanitarian operations and the evacuation of people.
The German Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke about the importance of communication and talks with the Taliban, and said that in the region, in Europe and in the West, there are different points of view towards communicating with the Taliban or not, stressing the importance of continuing talks with them to find practical solutions to the challenges at Kabul Airport. Also, instability in Afghanistan cannot be tolerated, because it will undoubtedly serve terrorism.
He added, “It is absolutely necessary that we express to the (Taliban) what our expectations are and what the limits are, and not judge them by their words but by their actions.”
He pointed out that the German ambassador in Qatar is holding talks with the Taliban, and that the entire Afghan crisis needs international cooperation, without which the current situation cannot be controlled.
The German Foreign Minister clarified that the talks with the Taliban are important and are not only conducted by Germany and are taking place in Doha even before Kabul fell into its hands, as the German ambassador to Qatar was participating in these talks, but he stressed that the issue of international recognition of the Taliban is not the most important issue. Currently, practical solutions must be found to several issues.
“We used to tell the Taliban that there are limits that should not be crossed, such as human rights and women’s rights, in addition to the importance of forming a government that includes everyone,” he said, noting that the coming days will show how the Taliban will act in these aspects.
He stressed that the focus now is also on the policy of the Taliban, and how it will deal with the demands raised by many parties to them, and that such matters must be discussed at the international level.
He stressed that Germany’s talks with the Taliban do not mean recognition of it. We have set some conditions, as we did with the previous government in Afghanistan, and I am confident that the international position will be unified in this aspect.”
The German Foreign Minister expressed his country’s readiness to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, explaining that there is fear of a humanitarian crisis erupting, especially with the end of summer and the advent of autumn and winter.
“We will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and we will continue to provide support to the Afghans who cooperated with us,” he said, adding, “We bet on the (Taliban) fulfilling their promise to allow travel for those who want to leave Afghanistan.”
Regarding the possibility of a German or European representation in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban, HE Mr. Heiko Maas explained that there is currently coordination between Germany and the European Union on the importance of having a European representation in Afghanistan, noting that the talks with the Taliban in Doha helped a lot in think about this issue.
He expressed his belief that there should be a German embassy in Kabul in the future, as this is related to the political and security situation in Afghanistan.
