The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatar Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, signed the agreement making Qatar the U.S. “protecting power” in Afghanistan.

“Today, we’re signing two new agreements that reflect our deepening collaboration on Afghanistan. The first establishes Qatar as the United States’ protecting power in Afghanistan. Qatar will establish a U.S. interests section within its embassy in Afghanistan to provide certain consular services and monitor the condition and security of U.S. diplomatic facilities in Afghanistan,” Blinken said.

“The second agreement formalizes our partnership with Qatar to facilitate the travel of Afghans with U.S. Special Immigrant Visas – a role that it’s already been playing in many instances – and serve as a transit point for eligible Afghans as they complete their application process,” he added.