IEA delegation leaves Kabul for visit to Turkey

A delegation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) led by acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi left for Turkey on Thursday morning at the official invitation of Turkish FM Ahmed Dawood Oglu, said the IEA’s foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi.

“A series of decisions will be made on the issues of bilateral relations, trade improvement, humanitarian aid, migrants and air transport,” Balkhi tweeted.

Muttaqi is accompanied by Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa, Mullah Abdul Haq Wasiq, Mawolavi Noor Jalal Jalali, Sheikh Shahabuddin Dilawar, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, Haji Mohammad Ibrahim and Abdul Qahar Balkhi.

This comes after Muttaqi met Zhou Jian, the Chinese Ambassador to Doha and his accompanying delegation on Wednesday.

Zhou Jian said China respects and supports the will of the Afghans, adding that no country should interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and no state should impose its favored system upon others.

Muttaqi meanwhile said the IEA seeks positive relations with all countries including China, adding: “We hope for China’s full cooperation in delivering humanitarian assistance to – and reconstruction in – Afghanistan.”

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan also hosted a meeting on Afghanistan on Wednesday, which was attended by the foreign ministers of Central Asia, India and Russia.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the meeting that another international conference on Afghanistan would be held after the Moscow summit under the auspices of the United Nations.