OIC, Japan discuss aid, development projects in Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): Top officials from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Japanese government and NGOs have discussed humanitarian aid and economic development projects in Afghanistan, according to a statement on Friday.

The Special Envoy of the OIC Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Ambassador Tarig Ali Bakheet, and the coordinator of the OIC Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund (AHTF), Eng. Jamal Al-Saati, took part in a series of meetings with top officials from Japan’s government and Japanese non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Afghanistan, a statement from OIC said.
‏Throughout his meetings with the various Japanese stakeholders, Ambassador Bakheet’s two-pronged mandate, involving a humanitarian and a political dimension, as defined by the OIC Council of Ministers, was amply expounded.
‏Specifically, Ambassador Bakheet held extensive discussions with top-level officials from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs including H.E Amb Nagaoka, Director-General on the Middle East, Special Envoy of Japan to Afghanistan.

The exchange dwelt principally on the committed engagement that has long been sustained by the OIC with Afghan de facto authorities in a bid to foster humanitarian assistance to Afghan vulnerable communities and seek agreeable ways of resolving some contentious political and human rights issues that still arouse the concerns of the OIC and the broader international community.
‏Ambassador Bakheet and Mr Al-Saati also held productive talks with the representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for Afghanistan and the heads of four other Japanese NGOs.

At the core of the discussions was the development of a practicable roadmap that would help streamline the implementation of joint OIC-Japan assistance and economic development projects in Afghanistan.
‏Besides, they also took part in a brainstorming symposium during which constructive insights were shared about the possible mechanisms likely to structure a trilateral cooperation framework involving the OIC, the UN, and Japan in support of Afghanistan.
‏The joint visit by Ambassador Bakheet and Engineer Al-Saati to Japan lends added impetus to the OIC-Japan relations, which have grown markedly since their formalization following the appointment in May 2022 of Japan’s Consul General in Jeddah as the Representative of his country’s government to the OIC.

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