Afghanistan–Saudi Arabia relations

Saudi Arabia has exerted a strong influence on Afghanistan, and was one of the major providers of funds to the mujahideen fighters against the Soviets. Saudi Arabia was also the second of only three countries to recognize the Taliban government, extending official recognition on 26 May 1997, one day after Pakistan and shortly before the United Arab Emirates.[1] After the removal of Taliban, Saudi Arabia is one of the major helpers in the Afghan reconstruction. For example, the main highway project is funded mainly by the US and Saudi Arabia. The Grand Mosque of Kabul in Afghanistan was also financed by Saudi Arabia.

Afghanistan-Saudi Arabia relations

Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of Saudi Arabia, KabulEmbassy of Afghanistan, Riyadh

The Saudis started perceiving a growing Iranian encroachment in Afghanistan around 2013. They saw the Iranian Revolutionary Guards supporting Shia's, but also one of several Afghan branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, Jamaat-e-Islami, and trying to coopt Taliban leaders and groups, and decided to become more active to counter that.[2]

  • Afghanistan has an embassy in Riyadh and a consulate-general in Jeddah.
  • Saudi Arabia has an embassy in Kabul.

Country Comparison
Common NameSaudi ArabiaAfghanistan
Official NameKingdom of Saudi ArabiaIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Coat of Arms
Flag
Area 2,149,690 km² (830,000 sq mi) 652,230 km² (251,830 sq mi)
Population 34,218,169[3] 32,225,560
Population Density 15/km² (38.8/sq mi) 46/km² (119.1/sq mi)
Capital Riyadh Kabul
Government Unitary Islamic Absolute monarchy Unitary Presidential Republic
Current Leader Mohammed bin Salman (de facto) Ashraf Ghani
Official Languages Arabic Dari (Persian), Pashto
GDP (nominal) $779.289 Billion $21.657 Billion
GDP (PPP) $1.924 Trillion[4] $72.911 Billion
GDP (nominal) per Capita $1,650[4] $601
GDP (PPP) per Capita $56,817[4] $2,024

References
  1. Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Saudi Arabia: Information on whether the government officially recognizes the Taliban government in Afghanistan, and if so, the date recognition was extended; and whether the government of Saudi Arabia provides the Taliban government with any kind of support, 1 March 1998, SAU28966.E, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6ab2c60.html [accessed 13 December 2010]
  2. "The Islamic State in Khorasan | Hurst Publishers". HURST. p. 38. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  3. "The total population – General Authority for Statistics". stats.gov.sa. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  4. "Saudi Arabia". International Monetary Fund.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.