Washington, 19 October 2021 (TDI): The US State Secretary Antony J. Blinken spoke with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Sunday. The officials exchanged views on the latest developments in Afghanistan.
I spoke today with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_ about Afghanistan. We are deeply appreciative of Qatar’s continued support and our strong bilateral partnership.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 18, 2021
During the telephonic conversation, Secretary Blinken expressed his gratitude towards the Qatari official for assisting the United States’ evacuation efforts in Afghanistan and for Doha’s cooperation on regional security issues. The US State Secretary also commended Qatar for safely evacuating the U.S. citizens, vulnerable Afghans, and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) from Kabul.
Following the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover in August, the country fell into political and humanitarian turmoil. Doha has since played a pivotal role in supporting the US efforts in safely transiting vulnerable individuals from Kabul. The State of Qatar also helped reopen the Kabul airport to facilitate people seeking to flee Afghanistan.