Italy plans to transfer its Afghanistan embassy to Qatar: minister

Italy plans to move its Afghan embassy to Doha, in Qatar, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Sunday, the latest indication of Western diplomats setting up permanently outside Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover.The announcement follows earlier signals that Western countries and the European Union, which have closed their missions in Kabul, may use the Gulf state as an offshore hub for their diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.Many diplomats flew to the Gulf state, which has hosted the Taliban's political office since 2013, after evacuating the Afghan capital late last month.China, Iran, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey have kept their embassies in the Afghan capital open, increasing their opportunities to directly influence a new government, which is in the process of being formed.Speaking in a video call from Doha to businessmen and politicians attending a business conference in Cernobbio on Lake Como, Di Maio  referred to his meetings with His Highness the Amir and HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar on Sunday and said: "...it is our intention to relocate the embassy we had in Kabul to Doha."