KABUL: Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi said the other day that a new chapter of relations and engagement has begun between Afghanistan and the neighboring countries, the region and the world.
In the press conference held at the government information and media center regarding the accountability program of the government to the nation, the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared the report of the ministry’s activities over the last one year.
“During the last year, in order to establish and maintain relations and interactions with neighboring countries, the region and the world, we have freed foreign exchange reserves, reactivated the country’s ports, developed cooperation,” Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, said adding that the ministry has made serious and persistent efforts at regional and international level on trade, transit and implementing national and regional projects and attracting humanitarian aid.
Also, during the previous administration, all attentions were focused on securing the interests of the occupiers, but now under an independent system, we are trying to ensure good and diplomatic relations with all world countries, said the minister.
“Twenty-one political and consular missions and offices of international organizations have resumed their activities in Kabul, and continued relations have been secured with 35 political and consular missions abroad,” Muttaqi added.
According to the minister, the necessary arrangements have been made with representatives from the U.S., China, Russia and the European Union regarding the release of the country’s foreign exchange reserves, as a result of which the United States recently informed about the conditional release of 3.5 billion dollars. But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making effort for unconditional release of the remaining $7 billion in Afghanistan assets.
The minister went on as saying that in the last one year, in order to reduce poverty and meet urgent needs, thanks to the efforts of this ministry, more than $1.6 billion worth of humanitarian aid from the world and regional countries and international aid organizations have been distributed to the deserved people countrywide.
Muttaqi said in order to attract more aids to the flood victims, a conference was recently organized with the participation of authorized representatives from the countries and aid organizations.
The conference pledged to cooperate in dealing with the situation of the flood victims.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the IEA’s foreign policy of non-interference in the affairs of countries and the establishment of good and diplomatic relations with the world, has tried to turn Afghanistan into a connecting point between the world and regional countries from a challenge to an opportunity, in order to restore the position of Afghanistan in all economic, political and cultural areas.
According to the Muttaqi, up to 10,000 passports have been distributed to the Afghans living in Dubai and Jeddah, 10,000 certificates of non-criminal liability, 1,500 visas to foreign nationals, laying the groundwork for the return of 800,000 Afghan immigrants, simplifying administrative processes and setting up archival documents of the ministry over the last one year.
Also, the ministry has started the necessary coordination with the concerned countries to attract investment in the mining, water and energy sectors and restart national, infrastructure and regional projects, which will lead to the economic development and self-sufficiency of the country.
The Kabul Times
New chapter opened in IEA, world relations: Foreign Minister
