KABUL: The Taliban government in Afghanistan is hoping to enhance cooperation with Saudi Arabia as Riyadh reopens its embassy in Kabul, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.
The Saudi Embassy in Afghanistan on late Sunday announced that the diplomatic mission in Kabul would resume its operations.
“Based on the keenness of the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide all services to the brotherly Afghan people, it has been decided to resume the activities of the Kingdom’s mission in Kabul as of December 22, 2024,” it said on X.
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“We are optimistic about the possibility of strengthening relations and cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan through the resumption of these activities,” said Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Zia Ahmad in a statement.
“I consider the resumption of the activities of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Kabul as a step towards further strengthening and expanding bilateral relations between the governments and peoples of the two countries,” Zakir Jalaly, director of the second political division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Arab News on Monday.
Jalaly said Saudi Arabia was one of three countries — including the UAE and Pakistan — to recognise the Taliban government during its first rule until it was overthrown by the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
“Since Saudi Arabia is an important country at the regional and international levels, the resumption of the embassy’s activities in Kabul will provide ground for expansion of cooperation in various fields,” he added.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has continued to provide consular services in Afghanistan since November 2021 and provided humanitarian assistance through its humanitarian arm, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief).
In recent years, Saudi Arabia launched numerous projects in Afghanistan focusing on aid relief, health, education services, water, and food security.
Saudi Arabia also attended all international donor conferences and called for establishing security and stability in Afghanistan.
