Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Kandahar province on Friday and met with Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the acting Prime Minister in the Taliban’s new government.

"In this meeting, the Prime Minister of that country emphasized strengthening the relations and increasing the level of trust between the two countries, as well as practical cooperation in the educational, health, and economic fields of Afghanistan," the spokesman of the Taliban Zabiullah Mujahid said on Twitter.

"Qatar's further cooperation with the people of Afghanistan was emphasized. At the same time, the heartfelt message of the Emir of Qatar was appreciated and that country was encouraged to play a greater role in building more trust between the countries and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," tweeted Mujahid.

The Qatari delegation also included the head of the Qatari State Security (Intelligence Service) Abdullah Al-Khulaifi.

PM Al Thani, who on 7 May also met the former president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, and Abdullah Abdullah, head of the National Reconciliation Council, encouraged Afghan parties and groups "to engage in national reconciliation".

The Qatari PM is the highest-level figure to have traveled to Afghanistan since the United States left the country in August 2021.

Notably, Qatar facilitated discussions between the Islamic Emirate and the US government that resulted in a peace deal on February 29 of 2020.

Qatar has longstanding ties with the Taliban. While this approach is criticized by some, others benefit from the country's contacts. Qatar's main interest is to cement its position as a regional mediator.

Qatar is one of the countries which manages to exert greater influence on the Taliban government, and which, during the evacuation operations from Afghanistan, played a fundamental role in the transport of US citizens, foreigners, and Afghans.

With the backing of the US administration under Barack Obama, Qatar permitted the Taliban to build an office in Doha as early as 2013.

Image source: ANI