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Afghanistan, Qatar sign air services MoU
The Ministry of Transport of Qatar said in a statement that the MoU will increase air traffic rights between the two countries.
Afghanistan and Qatar signed an air services Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday.
The Ministry of Transport of Qatar said in a statement that the MoU will increase air traffic rights between the two countries.
“The MoU comes in the context of connecting the State of Qatar with more air services agreements, allowing for its national carrier to expand its network of destinations around the world,” the statement said.
The MoU was signed by Abdul Salam Haidari, Deputy Minister of Transport and Aviation of Afghanistan, and Mohammed Faleh Al-Hajri, in charge of managing the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority.
In a post on X, Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority said: “A bilateral meeting was held this morning (Monday) between the civil aviation authorities of both Qatar and Afghanistan.”
“The talks focused on ways to enhance cooperation in the field of air transport between the two countries and addressed various topics of mutual interest in the field of civil aviation,” the post read.
This development comes amid an increase in overflights over Afghanistan in the past two months.
Data shows that airlines have been diverting flights over Afghanistan in order to avoid Iranian airspace and the growing conflict in the Middle East.
FlightRadar24 showed 132 over-flights of Afghanistan on 29 September. On 2 October, the day after Iran attacked Israel, the number of Afghan over-flights rose to 176.
On 6 October, the daily number had steadily risen to 222.
FlightRadar24, on Monday evening, at 7.40pm Kabul time, showed a Lufthansa flight and two Singapore Airlines flights using Afghanistan’s airspace.
The data did not show a breakdown of which airlines were using Afghan airspace but British Airways flights have in recent days been recorded on FlightRadar24 as flying over Afghanistan.
Many airlines had started routing through Iran and the Middle East after Russian and Ukrainian skies were closed to most Western carriers when the Ukraine war began in 2022.
However, air traffic control for carriers flying over Afghanistan has not been available since the US forces withdrew from the country in 2021. Instead, airlines have to rely on guidelines from regulators.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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