Tajikistan Ambassador to Afghanistan Saadi Sharifi on December 16 met in Kabul with Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation of Afghanistan (HCNR).

According to the Tajik MFA information department, the sides discussed the upcoming visit of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah to Tajikistan and other issues of cooperation between the two friendly countries.

Dr. Abdullah described Tajikistan as a good neighbor, friend, brother and one of the important countries to Afghanistan and expressed hope that his visit to Tajikistan would facilitate further expansion of cooperation between the two countries.

For his part, Tajik diplomat called the upcoming visit of Dr. Abdullah to Tajikistan a basis for further development of relationship between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. 

The Ambassador of Tajikistan Saadi Sharifi mentioned Tajikistan’s supports to the Afghan government and its people in all spheres and added that Dr. A. Abdullah's visit to Dushanbe will pave the way for further development of relations between the two fraternal countries.

The two also exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan, developments in the peace process and intra-Afghan negotiations.

A day before, Tajik Ambassador Saadi Sharifi met in Kabul with the First Deputy Speaker of the Wolesi Jirga of the National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mirza Abdullah Katawazai.


The Tajik MFA information department says that in the course of the talks, they discussed the coming visit of the Wolesi Jirga Speaker, Mr. Mir Rahman Rahmani, to Tajikistan and some issues related to bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.   

Mr. Katawazai stressed that the effective work of Tajikistan/Afghanistan Parliamentary Friendship Group and the Business Working Group of the two countries could pave the way for further development of bilateral relations in all areas.

He reportedly described the stability and lasting progress of Tajikistan as a sign of the fundamental efforts of the Tajik leadership and people.

Mr. Katawazai further added that Tajikistan has the best opportunities for Afghan businessmen and investors (from inside Afghanistan and abroad) and that this capacity should be used for the benefit of both countries.

Abdullah Abdullah (born 5 September 1960) is an Afghan politician who leads the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), which is expected to lead the intra-Afghan peace talks with the Taliban.  He served as Chief Executive Officer of the Unity Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from September 2014 until March 2020.  From October 2001 to April 2005, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs.  Prior to that he was a senior member of the Northern Alliance working as an adviser to Ahmad Shah Massoud.  He also worked as a medical doctor during the late 1990s.

Mir Rahman Rahmani (born 1962) is an Afghan politician and businessman who is the current Speaker of Afghanistan's House of the People (Wolesi Jirga, the House of Representatives), holding the office since June 2019.  He has been a member of the Wolesi Jirga since 2010.