Following the comprehensive US-Taliban peace agreement signed earlier this year, the Afghanistan peace negotiations commence in Qatar on Saturday, the Government Communications Office (GCO) tweeted on Friday.
"These vital negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban represent the next step in bringing lasting peace to Afghanistan," GCO added.
Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated on Thursday that this opportunity is made possible by agreement signed between the United States and Taliban in Doha earlier this year.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who arrived in Doha on Friday for the launch of the peace negotiations, had earlier described the initiative as a "historic opportunity" to end the war in Afghanistan.
In a statement carried by official Qatar News Agency on Thursday, Pompeo said, "The start of these talks marks a historic opportunity for Afghanistan to bring an end to four decades of war and bloodshed," adding, "This opportunity must not be squandered."
"I urge the negotiators to demonstrate the pragmatism, restraint, and flexibility this process will require to succeed," he added.
US President Donald Trump, who described on Thursday Pompeo's trip to Qatar as a historic one, had said: "We're getting along very, very well with the Taliban and very well with Afghanistan and its representatives."
