KABUL, Afghanistan — High-level discussions on drug control and Afghanistan’s economic sector, originally set to take place in Qatar, were instead held virtually due to what sources described as Qatar’s lack of preparedness.
The meetings, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 12 and Feb. 13, are part of the Doha process, an ongoing diplomatic initiative aimed at addressing Afghanistan’s economic and security challenges.
A previous meeting of the drug control working group under the Doha framework was held online in December, hosted by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Representatives from Iran, Russia, the United States, the European Union, Qatar, China, South Korea, and the Taliban participated. That session was marked by tensions between Iranian and Russian diplomats and their Western counterparts.
Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan said his country reaffirmed its commitment to assisting Afghanistan in combatting drug trafficking, according to a statement released after the talks.
