KABUL: Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have announced that in the past year, 215,000 visas were issued to citizens of foreign countries.
According to Radio Omid correspondent, Mawlavi Shuhaib Baryali, head of the Consular Services of the Ministry, spoke in the government accountability program on Wednesday about the ministry’s one-year achievements.
According to him, the ministry received visa requests from citizens of 173 countries over the past year.
Meanwhile, Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Foreign Minister, noted that the ministry facilitated the travel of over 100 Emirati delegations to various countries during the same period.
Muttaqi emphasized that they are ready to engage with all countries based on a balanced foreign policy, maintaining mutual respect and addressing common interests and threats.
He also mentioned that Kabul hosted high-level delegations from countries including Belarus, the U.S., Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and the United Nations in the past year.
According to Muttaqi, in addition to China, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan, Afghanistan’s diplomatic relations with Russia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan have also been upgraded to the level of official visits.
Other achievements of the Foreign Ministry over the past year include the removal of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and its officials from the prohibited lists and receiving awards from various countries.
Officials from the Foreign Ministry stress that efforts to gain international recognition for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and to expand its relations with Western countries within the framework of bilateral and multilateral relations will be a key focus for the country’s diplomatic efforts moving forward.
This comes as Afghanistan’s successful foreign policy has led Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to recognize the authority of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan.