Original Title: U.S. Secretary of State’s visit to Doha to talk about Afghanistan will not see Taliban representatives
According to Xinhua News Agency, US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Qatar’s capital Doha on the 6th to meet with Qatar’s Emir (Head of State) Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Discussed issues such as the situation in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops.
According to Agence France-Presse, Brinken is the highest-level U.S. official to visit the Middle East since the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital of Kabul on August 15. However, he does not intend to meet with Taliban representatives in Doha on this trip.
The office of the Emir of Qatar issued a statement on the same day that the two sides “discussed the progress of the situation in Afghanistan and their efforts to consolidate security and stability in Afghanistan.” Brinken thanked Tamim for his support during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Udeid Air Force Base near Doha is the main US air base in the Middle East. After the US accelerated its withdrawal from Afghanistan in mid-August, Qatar served as an important evacuation channel. According to Agence France-Presse, about 55,000 people were evacuated from Afghanistan and transited in Qatar. Tens of thousands of Afghans will wait for resettlement in Qatar.
The US State Department said in a brief statement that the two sides also discussed other important bilateral issues, including cooperation with Turkey to promote the reopening of Kabul Airport.
On the same day Brinken arrived in Doha, the Taliban announced the occupation of Panjshir, Afghanistan’s last province.
The Afghan Taliban has a political office in Doha. According to Agence France-Presse, Brinken has no arrangements to meet with Taliban representatives. However, US State Department official Dean Thompson said that the US will maintain contact with the Taliban “to ensure that our ideas are clearly conveyed.”
After completing his Doha trip, Brinken will head to the U.S. Air Force Base in Ramstein, Germany on the 8th, where thousands of Afghans are waiting to go to the United States. He will participate in an online meeting with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to discuss Afghanistan issues with many foreign ministers.
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