The Islamic Emirate says it is seeking to strengthen and expand Kabul’s relations with countries in the region and beyond, with its foreign policy focused on economic cooperation and regional connectivity.

Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, says Afghanistan’s current government has managed to establish trust-based relations with countries in the region and around the world over the past five years.

Mujahid says visits by senior officials from several countries to Afghanistan, along with expanding trade relations with a number of countries, demonstrate the growing trend of these interactions.

The Islamic Emirate spokesman stresses that Afghanistan needs the cooperation and effective role of neighboring and regional countries to strengthen regional cooperation and achieve its economic and regional connectivity objectives.

He also says the Islamic Emirate is seeking to further expand and consolidate Kabul’s relations with countries in the region.

According to figures from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Islamic Emirate currently has 40 active diplomatic missions in different countries.

Meanwhile, a number of international relations experts state that expanding Afghanistan’s engagement with the world could help reduce political isolation, strengthen diplomatic ties, attract investment, and ultimately foster the country’s economic growth.

Former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has warned that Washington risks creating a vacuum in Afghanistan that could be filled by China and Russia if the United States does not re-engage with the country.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Khalilzad said maintaining stability in Afghanistan remains in the US interest, warning that a return to collapse and chaos could once again create conditions for terrorist groups to expand and pose threats to the United States.

“If we do not engage and try to advance our interests, then our rivals will fill the vacuum,” Khalilzad said.

He pointed to growing Chinese and Russian engagement with Afghanistan, saying China is seeking access to the country’s natural resources while Russia has also become increasingly active.

Khalilzad said US policy should take Afghanistan’s current circumstances and future direction into account, including what Washington wants the country to look like in the years ahead.

He identified preventing Afghanistan from again becoming a base for anti-US terrorist groups as one of Washington’s key interests.

“Economic progress is important to achieving this goal, and developing Afghanistan’s resources is also important,” he said.

Khalilzad also warned that continued restrictions on women’s and girls’ access to education and employment could have serious consequences.

Meanwhile, Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Kabul and Washington have held talks through various channels on several occasions.

However, Mujahid said the absence of changes in US policy towards Afghanistan has prevented the discussions from producing meaningful progress in relations between the two sides.

China’s Ambassador to Kabul, Zhao Sheng, has discussed bilateral relations with Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during a farewell meeting in Kabul on Saturday.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi described relations between Afghanistan and China as historical and positive, praised Zhao’s tenure and wished him success in his future assignment.

Zhao, meanwhile, described ties between the two countries as friendly and thanked the Foreign Ministry for its cooperation during his tenure. He expressed hope that bilateral relations would further expand across various fields.