Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 7 October, the official visit of the President of Afghanistan to Doha has ended. During the visit, the Afghan leader met with the Emir of Qatar to discuss issues of the peace process, expanding bilateral ties and opportunities for investment in the Afghan economy.

Ashraf Ghani thanked the Emir for his support of the inter-Afghan negotiations and pointed out the availability of investment opportunities in the field of mining, renewable energy sources.

In turn, highly assessing the peace efforts of the President of Afghanistan, the head of Qatar, Al Thani, said that "joint efforts will help Afghanistan find peace and stability."

Ghani also met with the Kabul negotiating group and was briefed on the progress of the intra-Afghan dialogue. The head of the group, M. Stanikzai, said that the delay in the negotiations should not cause concern, since both sides are determined to move the negotiations off the ground.

Earlier it was reported that the parties continue the procedure for agreeing on the principles and provisions of the formal negotiations.

Afghanistan President also held talks in Doha with US Special Representative for Afghanistan Z. Khalilzad and NATO Mission Commander in Afghanistan S. Miller.

At the same time, foreign observers draw attention to the speech of the President of Afghanistan at the Center for the Study of Humanitarian Issues and Conflicts in Doha, where he said that in order to advance the peace process, it is necessary to ensure its inclusiveness and declare a national ceasefire. At the same time, A. Ghani considers the conflict in Afghanistan not a civil war, but a regional one, which is part of a global confrontation.

In general, according to experts, A. Ghani’s visit to Doha is solely due to the intention to achieve international support in promoting the priority issues of his agenda in the intra-Afghan negotiations. 

At the same time, the Afghan leader, giving his trip an official character, also outlined the position of Afghanistan government as the main participant in the peace process. This was of particular importance after the discrediting of his status as a result of the US-Taliban talks in Doha.