During a press conference held at the Government Media and Information Center, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented the ministry’s performance report for the past year.
Ministry officials highlighted key achievements, including the strengthening of diplomatic engagement with regional and global nations, an increased focus on enhancing the industrial sector, attracting foreign investment in mining, consolidating ties with partner nations on the implementation of economic projects, securing humanitarian aid, coordinating with donors on the resumption of incomplete projects, and facilitating discussions on critical Afghan issues on international platforms.
Officials further noted that significant efforts were made throughout the year to manage Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions in regional countries, ensuring that Afghan diplomats were engaged in accordance with internationally accepted norms and principles.
They emphasized that, under the prudent diplomacy of the Islamic Emirate, substantial progress had been made in lifting sanctions and removing certain Afghan officials from blacklists.
Over the past year, number of Afghan diplomats were posted to Malaysia, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, China, Doha, and the United Arab Emirates, with all diplomats formally accredited by the respective host nations.
Senior officials also underscored that over the past year, high-level delegations from countries including China, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, as well as senior representatives from the European Union and various international organizations, visited Afghanistan. These visits involved bilateral and multilateral discussions with Islamic Emirate high ranking officials on critical national and international matters.
In terms of fostering greater bilateral cooperation, 46 official visits were facilitated for the Islamic Emirate officials over the past year. These visits enabled senior officials to participate in international conferences held in Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran. In addition, 25 significant meetings were convened with various nations and international organizations.
The Ministry reported ongoing efforts to bolster economic collaboration, citing progress on major economic and infrastructure projects, including the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline, TAP (Transmission and Pipeline) project, Noor Al-Jihad Substation, and railway projects. Collaborative efforts with Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Iran, and China in trade and transit facilitation were also noted.
The Ministry further noted its success in attracting foreign investment in the mining sector, organizing six trade exhibitions in Kabul, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan to promote domestic products, securing 1,681 capacity-building scholarships from China, the UAE, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan, and 1,174 academic scholarships from Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and Qatar.
Furthermore, humanitarian aid from Uzbekistan, China, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Indonesia was secured for those affected by recent earthquakes in Herat.
Over the past year, the Ministry processed 283,210 documents and certificates, issued visas to 41,959 foreign nationals, distributed 97,556 passports, and renewed 426,141 passports.
The Ministry also implemented a unified and centralized visa issuance system across 26 diplomatic and consular missions, established a centralized Road pass system in 8 missions, and provided passport services in 19 diplomatic and consular offices.
Further, the Ministry launched and operationalized passport issuance services at five airports, eight border crossings, and seven provinces. An agreement was also signed with Afghanistan Statistics and Information Authority to enhance services related to the issuance of electronic ID cards, birth certificates, and identity verification documents, aimed at accelerating service delivery.
Officials concluded by highlighting capacity-building efforts over the past year, during which training programs were organized for 250 staff members and diplomats at both central and provincial levels, while 285 individuals graduated from the Ministry’s Institute of Diplomacy. #
