The Taliban government has announced that Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group`s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, met with Shahir Al-Taqi, CEO of the Saudi oil and gas company Delta International, and Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation.

According to *AnsarPress*, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs stated that the meeting focused on exploration, extraction, and the expansion of natural gas pipelines in Afghanistan.

In an official statement, the office said that Shahir Al-Taqi expressed interest in investing in Afghanistan`s oil and gas sector and pledged to share his company`s technical expertise with Afghan engineers.

The nature of Zalmay Khalilzad`s involvement with the Saudi company remains unclear, and neither party has commented on the capacity in which he attended the meeting.

Khalilzad also met last week with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban`s acting Foreign Minister. The Taliban`s Foreign Ministry described that encounter as "informal," stating that the two sides held "comprehensive discussions on ways to improve bilateral relations between Afghanistan and the United States."

Since the Taliban`s return to power in August 2021, this marks Khalilzad`s third public visit to Kabul. On two previous occasions, he traveled to the Afghan capital accompanied by Adam Boehler, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, for talks with senior Taliban officials.

Analysts suggest that Khalilzad`s continued engagement with Taliban leaders, especially alongside figures from the Gulf`s energy sector, may indicate ongoing behind-the-scenes diplomatic and economic outreach aimed at integrating Afghanistan into regional investment frameworks-particularly in the oil and gas industries of Central and South Asia.