Afghanistan Looking To UAE For Development Assistance, But Reforms Are Needed To Access Foreign Investors Capital

Haji Obaidullah Sader Khail, the head of the Afghan business council in the UAE has stated in an interview with local media that Afghanistan is hoping for a good ecopolitical relationship with the UAE. “The United Arab Emirates’ relations with Afghanistan have been tied to economic issues since the relatively distant past.” he said.

“The UAE have been involved in several infrastructural projects in Afghanistan and made several hospitals, universities, schools, and residential buildings across Afghanistan in the past. They carried on with their projects inside Afghanistan since the new (Taliban) establishment took over.” he added.

After the Western backed, Afghanistan Republic government collapsed and an Islamic Emirate established in Afghanistan, Turkiye and Qatar competed to take over the management of Kabul International Airport. Although both are known to influence the Afghan authorities, it was the United Arab Emirates that finally signed the contract to rebuild and run the international Kabul airport and “they delivered 80% of what they’ve promised”.

According to Khail, the UAE hasn’t attempted to take sides in empowering any specific ethnic group based on cultural or linguistic similarity. “The UAE doesn’t have any border with us like Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan, who as a result tend to base their relations on supporting specific agendas. But the interests of the United Arab Emirates in Afghanistan are mostly based on common economic interests.”

Some economists believe that if the caretaker government of Afghanistan helped establish solid financial relationships at the macro level with the United Arab Emirates, they would gain sustainable economic benefits.

“The UAE is working with different sectors of the acting government of Afghanistan to build 200 hospitals across the country, make roads, publish schools’ books, build water channels, improve our saffron production to replace the harvest of opium poppies and carpet industry but they are happy to do more.” Khail said. “The UAE could even help us extract Afghanistan’s rich mines” Khail suggested, pointing to the rich natural wealth of Afghanistan.

The UAE is a vital ally of the west and is known for its extensive diplomatic and commercial relations with most countries worldwide. This country plays an essential role in OPEC and is one of the founding members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council. According to Khail, “The UAE represents the international community in Afghanistan”.

However, the non-recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan by the international community, including the UAE, has caused uncertainty in the relations between Afghanistan and the UAE.

For this reason, high-ranking delegations of the UAE have shown interest in investing in Afghanistan in their recent trip to Afghanistan and meeting with the caretaker government officials. But the internal policies of the current government of Afghanistan, especially the restrictions imposed on women’s work and education, have prevented the establishment of such relations between Afghanistan and the world.

“Girls cannot go to school. Universities are closed. Girls’ schools are closed. Women are not allowed to work. Afghan people themselves are not happy with this situation. I even think many caretaker government members are against these decisions. No one will recognise Afghanistan when we do not solve these problems.” Khail stated. He also mentioned the roles women held in the UAE’s government. “Now, in the world and the United Arab Emirates, half of the government employees are women. Women are half of humanity. Who will recognise you when schools and universities are closed, and women are not allowed to work? The United Arab Emirates is also an Islamic country, and Saudi Arabia is also an Islamic country, but which of these countries has closed girls’ schools?”

According to Khail, the UAE hosts the largest Afghan business community in the diaspora. More than 300,000 Afghans are living and working in the UAE. “Now, the majority of Afghan businessmen living in the United Arab Emirates hope that the situation in Afghanistan will develop in such a way that the way for the establishment of extensive trade relations between this country and other countries of the world will be opened.”

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