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A look at the diplomacy of the Islamic Emirate in 2023
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) spent 2023 also with the crisis of lack of international legitimacy and could not secure Afghanistan seat at the United Nations.
The international community also kept sanctions on the Islamic Emirate this year due to its restrictions on women and girls.
In 2023, however, the Islamic Emirate made progress in diplomacy with some countries, and China, became the first country to formally name a new ambassador to Afghanistan since the IEA takeover.
This year, the interaction of the Afghan embassies with the Islamic Emirate also continued, and in October, the Afghan embassies in the Netherlands and Spain announced their engagement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul. At the end of this year, diplomats having contacts with the Islamic Emirate took control of the Afghan embassy in India.
Meanwhile, Iran, Afghanistan’s western neighbor, had tense relations with the Islamic Emirate over the issue of water rights from Helmand River.
Pakistan also had tense relations with the Islamic Emirate this year due to the alleged presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan, a charge which Kabul denies.
The relations deteriorated to a level that Islamabad started the process of forced repatriation of more than one million Afghan refugees from Pakistan.
Experts believe that the neighboring and regional countries have not yet been able to agree on a specific policy for engagement with the Islamic Emirate. According to them, this requires the implementation of the conditions of the international community, including the formation of an inclusive government and respect for the rights of women and girls and ethnic and religious minorities by the Islamic Emirate.
In 2023, the cabinet of the Islamic Emirate also remained as caretaker. The return of former government officials and politicians to the country continued, and hundreds returned to the country through the relevant commission.
However, the Islamic Emirate calls 2023 a year full of achievements and emphasizes that this year progress has been made in all fields, especially in expanding relations with other countries.
The spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, however, considers the reason for the lack of international legitimacy to be the actions of certain countries, which he believes also have upper hand in the United Nations.
Although the Islamic Emirate has established diplomatic relations with about 20 countries, no country has officially recognized it as the government of Afghanistan.
Ariana Afghan Airlines has ranked seventh among 45 airlines in Central Asia in Skytrax’s 2026 rankings.
Company officials say Ariana Afghan ranked eighth on the list in 2025, but moved up one place this year following improvements in service quality and the expansion of its operations.
According to the officials, in 2026 the airline met criteria including service quality, flight safety, professional cabin crew, and experience in the aviation sector, placing it among the top 10 airlines in Central Asia.
Skytrax is an international organization that evaluates and ranks the quality of services in the aviation industry and airlines, assessing and ranking carriers annually based on specific criteria.
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Silk Road highway in Wakhan corridor now reaches the China border
The road is expected to be officially opened for use in the near future, potentially improving connectivity through the remote Wakhan Corridor.
The construction of the Silk Road Highway in Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor has been fully completed after five years of work, officials in Badakhshan province said.
Amanullah Chehra, head of Rural Rehabilitation and Development in Badakhshan, said the 121.13-kilometre road begins in the Barghil area and stretches to Bzai Gonbad near the Chinese border.
According to officials, the road is between 7 and 10 metres wide and includes three major bridges, each measuring approximately 20 to 22 metres in length. Numerous smaller drainage structures have also been built along the route to facilitate the flow of water.
The road is expected to be officially opened for use in the near future, potentially improving connectivity through the remote Wakhan Corridor.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, met on Wednesday with Bruno Lemarquis, UNAMA’s Deputy Head for Humanitarian Affairs, to discuss the situation of Afghan returnees and humanitarian assistance.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said Lemarquis briefed the minister on assessments conducted by UN agencies during visits to several provinces to identify the needs of returnee families.
Lemarquis said joint cooperation between UN agencies and the Islamic Emirate is needed to support and resettle returnees. He added that UN agencies are currently assisting thousands of families and called for the expansion of humanitarian assistance.
He also said the international community should pay greater attention to the needs of Afghans, adding that UNAMA is ready to cooperate in addressing challenges facing returnees.
Abdul Kabir welcomed UNAMA’s support and thanked the United Nations for its assistance to Afghans. He said various government institutions have been tasked with addressing returnees’ needs.
The minister also called on aid organizations to continue supporting returnee families, saying a program to resettle thousands of internally displaced families is also underway.
Kabir further said the necessary facilities have been provided for UN agencies to operate and that the Islamic Emirate welcomes UNAMA’s humanitarian cooperation.
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Silk Road highway in Wakhan corridor now reaches the China border
Refugees minister, UNAMA deputy discuss challenges facing returnees
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