After the U.S. defeat in Afghanistan in 2021, bilateral interactions and discussions between Afghanistan and the U.S. over the past nearly four years have taken place in a third country, mostly in Qatar. However, yesterday, the U.S. side made an unprecedented and unusual direct visit to Kabul and held bilateral discussions with the current Afghan government on various issues. Both sides emphasized the importance of such bilateral interactions and discussions to resolve problems and issues. Additionally, the current Afghan government, in a gesture of goodwill, released American prisoner George Gulsman from two years of imprisonment. The U.S. Department of State also considered the release of this prisoner a positive and constructive step in bilateral relations.
Analysts consider the direct engagement of the United States with Afghanistan a positive development in the relationship between the two countries and emphasize that resolving issues between the two nations is only possible through this means, which they believe is beneficial for both sides. In addition to bilateral relations and engagement, the visit of this high-level American delegation to Afghanistan, which included Zalmay Khalilzad, the former special representative of the United States for Afghanistan, carries important messages for opposition groups, the region, and the world. Undoubtedly, this is a prominent sign of the current government’s active foreign diplomacy.
The direct engagement of the United States with Afghanistan proved that all the efforts, meetings, and negative propaganda against the Afghan government by the opposition groups based abroad were in vain. They aimed to isolate Afghanistan and the current government and somehow take control of Afghanistan’s foreign policy and external affairs. They made extensive efforts and campaigns over the past nearly four years, showing that they were successful in their endeavors. However, the arrival of the American delegation in Kabul disproved all of this and made it clear that the main place for discussing and negotiating Afghanistan-related issues is Kabul, not Washington, Paris, Vienna, or Dushanbe. This move will further isolate and fragment these already divided groups.
The second and most important message of the American delegation’s direct visit to Kabul is directed at the neighboring region and the world regarding the hostile countries of Afghanistan. For nearly the past four years, they have been trying, both directly and indirectly, to create obstacles in the interaction and bilateral relations between Afghanistan, the United States, and the rest of the world. They would speak against Afghanistan on international stages with complete impunity and somehow try to weaken and undermine Afghanistan’s independent foreign policy and diplomacy. However, the recent visit of the American delegation has also thwarted this effort and shown that Afghanistan-related issues can only be resolved through negotiations in Kabul.
The United States and Afghanistan have many issues between them that require negotiation to resolve. These discussions should have started directly a long time ago, but certain anti-Afghanistan factions within the United States had obstructed this resolution. However, now, with the efforts of the Trump administration, it seems that the American government has realized that its policy of pressure and force regarding Afghanistan has failed, which is why it has turned towards direct engagement.
This effort of direct interaction between the United States and Afghanistan is important and could pave the way for more discussions and problem-solving between the two countries. The series of such meetings may extend further, especially since it is said that the Trump administration plans to assign a significant task and part of its foreign policy to Zalmay Khalilzad, the former special envoy for Afghanistan.
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