Japan to relocate Kabul embassy to Qatar, says 'Doha will carry political importance'

As the Taliban continues to assert its ultra-austere set of rules over Afghanistan, Japan has disclosed plans to relocate its embassy to Qatar. On Monday, a top Japanese diplomat said that the pacific country has temporarily moved its embassy from Kabul to Turkey and would soon be relocating it to Qatar, according to Associated Press. It is imperative to note that the Taliban already have an office in the Qatari capital Doha and experts have predicted that the gulf state could play a pivotal role in shaping the course of events in Afghanistan. 

Since the fall of Kabul, a number of countries have either closed or relocated their embassies from Afghanistan. Back in May, Australia shut down its offices in the war-ravaged state highlighting the threat to its residents. Since then, major western powers including the US, UK, France, Germany and Canada have closed their diplomatic offices. 

'Major communications to take place'

Addressing media reporters, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who earlier this month toured the Middle East, said that his talks with region leaders suggested that Doha will carry growing political importance. Furthermore, he reckoned that he believed "major communications” would take place there. Earlier this month, the country's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said that safe evacuations for the remaining Japanese nationals and Afghans remained the administration's top priority. 

This comes as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg chaired a virtual meeting with Foreign Ministers of the G7 (Group of 7) countries wherein he discussed the situation unfolding in Afghanistan and vowed to continue fighting terrorism. On Tuesday, the Taliban insurgents triumphantly marched at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai Airport after the last US paratrooper left the war-ravaged territory, ending a 20-year long war. Meanwhile, Stoltenberg said that it was essential to preserve the counterterrorism gains made in Afghanistan. It is imperative to note that US and NATO troops invaded Afghanistan a month after the 9/11 attacks. The invasion also marked the first time when the intergovernmental military alliance expanded its operation past Europe. 

“NATO’s mission was always to make sure that Afghanistan was not a safe haven for international terrorists. Al Qaeda has been degraded and there has not been a terrorist attack on NATO allies organized from Afghanistan since 9/11,” the NATO chief said at the conference.

(With inputs and image from AP)