RELATIONS BETWEEN ITALY AND AFGHANISTAN
Diplomatic relations between Italy and Afghanistan officially began on June 3, 1921, with the signing of the “Agreement for the Exchange of Permanent Diplomatic Missions.”
After the Third Anglo-Afghan War and the end of the British protectorate in 1919, Italy was the first Western country to recognize Afghanistan’s independence. In 1928, the Afghan King Amanullah Khan, who had been deposed by a popular uprising while traveling in Europe, settled in exile in Rome with his family.
With the establishment of the Republic in Afghanistan in 1973, the last Afghan king, Zahir Shah, also went into exile in Rome. His stay in Italy ended in 2002, when the elderly monarch was invited by the Loya Jirga (grand assembly representing all sectors of Afghan society) to return to the newly formed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, where he was given the honorary title of “Father of the Nation,” a title that lapsed upon his death in July 2007.
The Italian Embassy in Kabul was closed in 1979 following the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan. It reopened in 1989 but was closed again in 1993 due to the Afghan civil war. In 1994, the Italian residence was damaged by rocket fire.
In 2001, following the NATO military intervention and the fall of the first de facto Taliban government, the Italian Embassy reopened in its historic premises.
From 2001 to 2021, Italy made significant efforts toward Afghanistan’s stability and reconstruction, participating in NATO missions and funding humanitarian and development projects.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
With the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021, a de facto government composed solely of Taliban representatives took power. All Western countries, including Italy, closed their respective embassies in Afghanistan. The Italian Government does not recognize the de facto Afghan authorities.
By decree of the President of the Italian Republic, since September 2021 the Italian Embassy for Afghanistan has been operating temporarily from Doha, Qatar. Development cooperation activities are carried out through the AICS Office in Islamabad.
Italy participates in the so-called “Doha Process,” a format of multilateral dialogue between the international community and the de facto authorities under the auspices of the United Nations. This process aims to promote the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Independent Assessment presented by the UN Secretary-General to the Security Council in November 2023 (the so-called “Sinirlioglu Report”). The UN-led engagement process, in which Italy is involved, aims to restore Afghanistan as “a country at peace with itself and its neighbors, fully reintegrated into the international community.”
The Italian Government remains one of the leading donor countries, funding humanitarian activities and responses to the essential and emergency needs of the Afghan population.