Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi, the Qatari Foreign Minister, and his delegation visited Kabul on Thursday and met with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, and several other officials of the group. The high-ranking Qatari official called for the presence of a Taliban representative at the third Doha meeting, emphasizing that without the participation of a Taliban government representative, the upcoming meeting would be fruitless.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of the Taliban stated that Abdul Ghani Baradar stressed during the meeting that without the presence of a Taliban government representative, an international conference on Afghanistan would not achieve any significant outcomes. He added that the status of the Taliban government should be respected in such meetings.
This visit took place while the United Nations announced that the third Doha meeting is scheduled for June 30 and July 1, with the participation of special representatives from various countries for Afghanistan and Taliban representatives.
According to information released by the “Arg,” Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi and Mullah Baradar discussed the expansion of political, economic, and trade relations between the two countries during their meeting. Previously, Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, had also asked the Taliban to participate in the third Doha meeting during her recent visit to Kabul.
In the two previous Doha meetings, Taliban representatives were absent due to the UN not accepting the group’s demands. The second Doha meeting, hosted by the United Nations with representatives from 27 countries, was held in February this year in Qatar without the presence of the Taliban.
The third Doha meeting on Afghanistan is set to take place on June 30 and July 1, with special representatives from various countries for Afghanistan. The overall objectives of this meeting are to facilitate international engagement with Afghanistan.