Qatar’s deputy foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi met with Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Thursday and urged the IEA to attend the upcoming Doha meeting.

During this meeting, which took place in Kabul, political, economic and commercial relations were discussed between the two sides.

Baradar thanked Qatar for its cooperation with Afghanistan in various fields and said that these relations should be expanded and strengthened. 

He also said currently there are numerous investment opportunities in Afghanistan and Qatari investors are welcome to invest.

According to Baradar, the Islamic Emirate has provided necessary facilities to foreign investors and fully supports them.

Al-Khulaifi in turn said Qatar will encourage investors to invest in Afghanistan and for this purpose, Qatari investors will visit Kabul in the near future.

Al-Khalifi added that they are working closely with Qatar Airlines to start flights to Afghanistan and to strengthen commercial relations between the two countries.

Khalifi meanwhile asked the Islamic Emirate to attend the upcoming meeting of special envoys for Afghanistan in Doha. He said Qatar would like the IEA to attend the meeting so that definite conclusions can be reached.

He added that without the presence of the IEA, such meetings are fruitless. He said he had clarified his position to the United Nations in this regard.

Baradar meanwhile said that the Islamic Emirate wants broad political-economic relations with all countries.

He emphasized that without IEA representation at meetings, no results can be reached and therefore, it is necessary to respect the position of the Islamic Emirate in such gatherings.

This comes after Baradar and foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sherpur Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani in Tehran in Iran.

The Political Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) met on Thursday at the Sepidar Palace in ARG, for talks on the situation in the country, in the region and on the upcoming Doha meeting.

Chaired by deputy prime minister for political affairs, Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, the IEA leaders also discussed the need for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the needy.

In addition, the political commission discussed the expansion of relations and interaction with a number of countries and decisions were taken on various issues on the agenda.

The United Nations said on Tuesday the next Doha meeting of Special Envoys for Afghanistan has been set for June 30 and July 1.

The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said at a briefing on Tuesday that civil society activists will also attend the Doha meeting.

He said an invitation has been extended to the Islamic Emirate to attend the meeting.

He said the Islamic Emirate’s  Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, has received an advance invitation from the UN Secretary-General to participate at the upcoming meeting of Special Envoys.

Bamiyan officials said this week that an Italian organization, Vento, in collaboration with the University of Florence in Italy, will build 100 houses for local cave dwellers.

The cost of the project will total $300,000 and work on the houses will start soon, officials said.

For hundreds of years people have lived in the caves, situated around the giant Buddha niches carved out of sandstone cliffs. Currently some estimates say there are about 700 families who call caves their home.

But for years, the situation has been a concern for authorities, especially as the cliffs form part of the Bamiyan UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Officials and experts have said that the longer the caves are occupied, the more damage is done to the site, as families install front doors and windows, build makeshift extensions, and rig up satellite dishes and solar panels.

In a meeting this week with the Bamiyan governor Abdullah Sarhadi, visiting Italian officials from Vento and the university said the houses will be modern and that upgrades will also be done to Zargaran town, in the center of Bamiyan.

The officials said this includes improvements to roads, to alleys and to control of water.

Sarhadi welcomed the initiative and said he supports initiatives on the development and implementation of infrastructure projects in the province.

This project will meanwhile be implemented under the full supervision of the Department of Urban Development and Housing in Bamiyan Province.