Abdul Ghafar Tirawi has been appointed the new ambassador of Afghanistan to Uzbekistan, reports “Fergana” with reference to Tolonews.
"Over the past three years, the Islamic Emirate [Afghanistan] has established itself as a stable and strong regime, and day by day the region and the whole world are realizing this truth. In the near future, Abdul Ghafar Tiravi will begin his work as the ambassador of the Islamic Emirate in Tashkent," said Zakir Jalali, director of the third political department of the Afghan Foreign Ministry.
Tiravi is an ethnic Uzbek, before being appointed head of the diplomatic mission, he served as Director of the Research Department at the Supreme Court of Afghanistan.
Tiravi will replace Ambassador to Uzbekistan Mugfurullah Shahab, who took over the post in February this year. Shahab is known as the son of the Minister of Mining and Petroleum of Afghanistan, Maulavi Shahabuddin Delawara. After the appointment of his son as ambassador, the minister was convicted of nepotism and ignoring the demands of the Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzad, who in March 2023 banned officials from appointing members of their families or relatives to public positions.
The appointment of a new ambassador of Afghanistan was announced by Uzbek Prime Minister Abdullah Aripov, who visited the neighboring country last week. The visit coincided with the 105th anniversary of Afghanistan's independence, which is celebrated on August 18. The trip resulted in the signing of 35 investment agreements and trade contracts worth $2.5 billion.
The radical Taliban movement seized power in Afghanistan in mid-August 2021. The Taliban government is not recognized by any state in the world, and the embassies of Afghanistan refused to cooperate with the new authorities. The international community demands that the Taliban form a coalition government, which would include representatives of various ethnic and political forces in Afghanistan and women.
The Taliban themselves have repeatedly stressed that they are ready to cooperate with the international community. In March 2023, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki announced that the country's authorities were making efforts to reopen the embassies of some countries in Kabul as soon as possible. He noted that the opening of embassies reflects the recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and that some countries have already unofficially recognized the interim Afghan government.
"Currently, embassies of neighboring countries such as China, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Pakistan are open in Kabul. The embassies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia are open here. The embassies of India, Turkey, Qatar and the UAE have also been opened, the embassy of Saudi Arabia has been opened, and its diplomats may return in the near future," Muttaki said.
In September 2023, China became the first country to officially appoint a new ambassador to Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power.
