The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The cornerstone of the QAMA

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The cornerstone of QAMA

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs efforts were essential in addressing the Afghan crisis after the US troops withdrawal. These efforts go through several phases, from mediation through evacuation and until post-evacuation support efforts.

Qatari diplomacy

In the second half of 2021, Qatar assumed a central role in addressing the Afghan crisis following the US full withdrawal, by holding important international meetings and hosting key dialogues. In Doha, an international meeting was held on Afghanistan to assess the status of intra-Afghan negotiations, where participants expressed their support and gratitude for Qatar’s efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan.

Qatari diplomats also held extensive meetings with various international and regional parties, including representatives of the Taliban. In these meetings, Qatar urged to accelerate efforts to reach a comprehensive political settlement. There were also meetings with envoys from the UK, Japan and other international parties to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and the role Qatar can play in facilitating dialogue and aid.

During this period, Doha witnessed active political and diplomatic efforts, with leaders and officials coming from different countries to discuss the Afghan crisis and benefit from Qatari mediation. Countries such as the US, the UK, Germany, France, and Spain expressed their appreciation for Qatar’s efforts, especially with regard to the evacuation of civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid.

At the media level, Lulwah Al Khater, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, spoke about her country’s readiness to mediate between the Taliban and other countries, stressing the importance of mediation and providing support to the Afghan people.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, also delivered a speech at the UN in which he spoke about Qatar’s efforts and how it spared no effort in evacuating thousands of people from Afghanistan. He also emphasized his country’s continued coordination with its partners to preserve the gains that have been achieved, and the necessity of continuing humanitarian aid. He also stressed Qatar’s commitment to supporting security and stability in Afghanistan.

Managing evacuations

In light of the rapid events taking place in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs played a prominent role in coordinating and implementing the massive evacuation operations that took place during that period. The beginning was with direct coordination between the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, foreign governments and international institutions, through the following steps:

Receiving the names of people who want to leave Afghanistan

and carefully examining their data to ensure that they are eligible to leave.

Communicating with the Qatari Embassy in Kabul and organizing evacuation to Kabul Airport

in secure corridors and in batches according to the capacity.

Receiving refugees in Doha and providing them with

the necessary support upon their arrival.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was an integral part of the team that made strategic decisions related to the evacuations, including critical decisions such as receiving aircraft coming from Kabul and continuous communication with the country’s senior leadership to provide the necessary advice and guidance.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also played an important role at a critical stage of the process, as it communicated with Ambassador Issa Al-Mannai, Director of the US Affairs Department in the Ministry, to search for effective solutions to provide additional Qatari aircraft to transport refugees. This coordination resulted in the allocation of 10 Qatari civil aircraft.

Kabul Airport Crisis Management

– After the outbreak of the Kabul airport crisis, the Taliban reached out to Qatar to assume a technical role in managing the airport, which was confirmed by Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who pointed out the importance of reopening the airport for the return of stability to Afghanistan.

– Qatari Assistant Foreign Minister Lulwah Al Khater addressed the Qatari mission to help the airport return to work, stressing international support for these efforts.

– In the following days, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman stressed continuous communication with the Taliban to monitor security and technical gaps at the airport, expressing his optimism in Qatar’s ability to help the airport return to operation as quickly as possible.

– In the end, the Qatari technical team succeeded in fixing the technical problems and the airport returned to work again, and the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emerged in facilitating logistical operations and contributing to securing the airport in cooperation with other institutions such as the Ministry of Defense.

Saeed bin Al-Mubarak Al-Khayareen

– Saeed bin Al-Mubarak Al-Khayareen has served as the Ambassador of Qatar to Afghanistan since 2019, and played an active role in the evacuation of Afghan refugees and the management of the Kabul airport crisis. The headquarters of the Qatari Embassy in Kabul was transformed into the command center responsible for managing operations, and the embassy team formed the basic center for managing various challenges.

– The tasks of the team managed by Al-Khayarin varied from receiving Afghan refugees to ensuring their security, and effective communication with various parties inside Afghanistan. Additionally, tasks included coordinating the preparation of lists and securing the refugees’ path to the airport. When the Kabul Airport crisis occurred, the embassy team arranged for the arrival of Qatari technical teams to carry out the necessary repairs at the airport and prepare it to resume operations again.

– After the departure of the Afghan government, many foreign embassies left Afghanistan, and Doha became the first headquarters for these embassies. Mr. Saeed spoke about this situation, explaining that the requests were coming from the governments of these countries or from their embassies to the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In turn, the Ministry sent the matter to the Qatari Embassy in Kabul, which assumed the role of communicating with these embassies, and invited its officials to come to the embassy headquarters. The primary role of Al-Khayarin, assigned to him by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was to assume the role of field mediator between the various parties.

– One of the efforts that Al-Khayarin made during the Kabul airport crisis was that he personally accompanied US citizens and Afghan girls, transporting them from boarding schools to the airport, to ensure their safe arrival.

Mutlaq bin Majid Al-Qahtani

– Ambassador Mutlaq bin Majid Al-Qahtani is the Qatari Foreign Minister’s Special Envoy for Counterterrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution. He has a distinguished academic history and extensive diplomatic experience and has played a pivotal role in various diplomatic and political missions.

– Al-Qahtani holds a PhD in International Law from the UK and a Master’s in International Legal Studies from the US. In 2020, he won the Best Negotiator Award from the UN highlighting his distinguished ability to mediate international conflicts. Earlier, he held the 2015 Universal Peace Federation Ambassador of Peace Award, in recognition of his efforts to promote international peace and security.

– Al-Qahtani also held several prestigious positions, including Director of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Chief of Staff of the Presidency of the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly. He is also a member of the advisory committee for Georgetown University in Qatar.

– Al-Qahtani played a prominent role in resolving international conflicts, such as the conflict between Somalia and Kenya. During the Afghan crisis, Al-Qahtani showed remarkable activity, as he worked to bring the views of the caretaker Afghan government and the Taliban closer, and sought to reach peaceful solutions.

– Al-Qahtani’s statements during the crisis reflected his insightful vision and commitment to reaching practical solutions. He spoke about the importance of facilitating the return of Kabul Airport to work and opening it to international flights, stressing Qatar’s continued efforts to ensure the safety and security of air navigation in Afghanistan. He also stressed the need to ensure freedom of movement and travel for foreigners and Afghans holding the necessary documents.

Participation in conferences supporting Afghanistan

Qatar actively participated in international conferences in support of Afghanistan, and the conferences were always attended by representatives of the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conferences aimed to discuss current developments in Afghanistan, propose solutions to the challenges facing the country, and support the Afghan people. Here is a summary of Qatari participation in the most important conferences:

1- The International Meeting on Afghanistan in Doha (August 2021): 14 countries and organizations participated. Participants called for accelerating the peace process and strengthening efforts to reach a political settlement.

2- G7 Ministerial Meeting on Afghanistan (August 2021): 11 countries and organizations participated. The meeting discussed the humanitarian, political and security situation in Afghanistan, with an emphasis on the need for urgent humanitarian assistance.

3- Ministerial talks on Afghanistan (September 2021): Qatar, the US, and Germany participated. The necessary international efforts to protect civilians and updates on the situation in Afghanistan were discussed.

4- High-level ministerial meeting on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan (September 2021): Qatar spoke about its commitment to supporting the Afghan people, providing them with medical and food assistance, and supporting the evacuation of humanitarian cases.

5- Ministerial meeting on supporting the future of Afghan women and girls (September 2021): Qatar stressed the need to protect the achievements of international participation in Afghanistan and support the rights of women and girls.

6- Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting on Afghanistan (December 2021):Qatar spoke about its efforts in mediation and humanitarian support, and stressed the necessity of Islamic support for Afghanistan.

7- Meeting of foreign countries with the Taliban (February 2022): The meeting focused on supporting safe and orderly access to humanitarian aid and addressing the economic crisis in Afghanistan.

8- Afghanistan Conference 2022 (March 2022): Qatar discussed the role it played in facilitating talks to achieve a peaceful transition of power in Afghanistan and supporting the Afghan people.

9- Conference of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan’s Neighboring Countries + Afghanistan (March 2022): Qatar affirmed its position in support of the Afghan people and highlighted the need for international and regional cooperation.

10- UN Human Rights Council session (June 2022): Qatar called on the international community to help the Afghan people in facing development and economic challenges.

11- Tashkent International Conference on Security and Economic Development in Afghanistan (July 2022): Qatar spoke about its diplomatic and humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan and called for the activation of the Doha Agreement.

12- US-European Group meeting (September 2022): Qatar and the participants discussed the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and international cooperation to address it.

In all conferences, The Qatari efforts through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed its commitment to supporting the Afghan people, with a focus on international cooperation to achieve stability and security in Afghanistan.