A coordination meeting between the agencies of the United Nations and the Islamic Emirate was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Participants in the meeting discussed the needs of the people of Afghanistan, the assistance provided by the United Nations in the past year, and the creation of coordination between the United Nations organizations and the caretaker government.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, in this meeting said that four decades of conflict in the country have prevented Afghanistan from economic development.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said: “In this meeting, the needs of the people of Afghanistan and the priorities of the Islamic Emirate in various fields, the assistance of the United Nations in the past year, future plans, and the development of understanding and coordination between the parties were discussed.”
The Deputy Special Representative (of Development) at UNAMA, Indrika Ratwette, spoke at the meeting about efforts to increase development assistance to Afghanistan.
Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy, said: “In the Foreign Ministry meeting, the continuation of assistance to the people of Afghanistan and the transition from humanitarian to developmental assistance were discussed. Additionally, the economic and social needs and priorities of the people of Afghanistan were presented to donors, international institutions, and relevant United Nations organizations, which were well received.”
A number of economic analysts said that although humanitarian aid has managed to reduce the economic crisis in the past nearly three years, in the long term, it is necessary for global aid to focus more on infrastructure development and creating job opportunities for the country’s citizens.
“We need to change their perspective, move them away from humanitarian aid and focus them on infrastructural and semi-infrastructural, developmental, and expansion aid, which can be effective,” said Shabir Bashiri, an economic analyst.
“An effort must be made that is fundamental and also creates job opportunities, facilitates handicraft industries in various provinces to resolve the problems that plague us,” said Abdul Basir Turki, another economic analyst.
Earlier, the acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, advocated for the initiation of infrastructure projects in the country during a meeting with members of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and representatives of UNAMA.
The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in a meeting with Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the ambassador and special representative of Iran to Afghanistan, discussed political, commercial, and regional issues.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding this meeting, said that the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and the ambassador and special representative of Iran to Afghanistan called Afghanistan’s relations with the regional countries as growing.
According to Takal, the two sides also emphasized that the expansion of Afghanistan’s relations with countries is beneficial to the region.
The deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added: “Both sides called Afghanistan’s relations with regional countries as progressing and said that this is beneficial for the region. The special representative of Iran in this meeting also provided information about the latest Doha meeting.”
In this meeting, Amir Khan Muttaqi discussed the resolution of migrants’ challenges, bilateral relations, trade, and the release of water towards Sistan and Baluchestan province.
“The meetings of the acting Foreign Minister with ambassadors and foreign ministers of neighboring countries can be called a positive step in expanding Afghanistan’s political and diplomatic relations, which can be for the sake of gaining the countries’ interests,” said Najib-ur-Rahman Shamal, an international relations analyst.
“The Islamic Emirate has focused more on economics over the past two and a half years, with a greater emphasis on securing economic relations with countries, especially with Central Asian countries and those that are important to us,” said Mohammad Omar Nahzat, another international relations analyst.
In the past month, representatives from India, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and some other countries have spoken separately with the authorities of the Islamic Emirate about expanding their relations with the caretaker government.—Tolonews
