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Ghani says Biden’s withdrawal decision was a game changer but govt respects it
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Tuesday at a virtual conference that US President Joe Biden’s decision, endorsed by NATO, to withdraw all foreign troops from the country has been a “game-changing and game-shaping decision”.
Addressing delegates at the Looking towards Peace in Afghanistan after the US-NATO Withdrawal Conference, organized by the Arab Center Washington, Ghani said: “By ending the guessing game regarding the presence of the US forces, whether they will stay, or what they were here for, all stakeholders whether state or non-state had to rethink their assumptions and examine their interests vis a vie the new context and work with us to reframe and accelerate a peace that will lead to a just and lasting peace for the people of Afghanistan and of predictable and stable order for partnership with our neighbors, the region, the Islamic world, and our international partners.”
He said Biden’s decision had not been unexpected but that its resulted in a transition for which “we have mentally been dreading”.
But he said Afghan leaders, himself included, respect Biden’s decision and are now focused on the next chapter of dealings with the US, NATO and other partners who have helped and supported Afghanistan over the years with both “blood and treasure”.
His address came just two days before his trip to the US where he will meet with Biden to discuss the current situation in the country, the peace process and other issues.
On this note, Ghani stated he was looking forward to his discussion with Biden later this week.
Drawing a parallel to the uncertainty the world is facing due to COVID-19, he said it was this type of uncertainty that the people of Afghanistan have dealt with 43 years continuously.
Ghani however stated that the more people point towards a possible collapse of government or hostile takeover, once foreign forces have left, the more they are contributing to anxiety, and to uncertainty among Afghans.
“We as a people, have been denied for 43 years the very basic right of a society – the right to peace.”
He said Afghans are not asking the world for indefinite support but are asking for understanding, for empathy and for partnerships in a meaningful way.
He said should Afghanistan be engulfed in intense conflict, like that seen in Syria and Yemen, “no one in the region will be spared. The consequences will be spread.”
He said the context has changed following the withdrawal decision and that the narrative that occupiers are in Afghanistan “is over”. But the Afghan government has welcomed the departure of foreign troops from the country, he said.
However, partnerships are “going to shift fundamentally” and the new chapter will focus on bringing peace, prosperity and connectivity to Afghanistan, he said.
Three road construction projects worth about one billion Afghanis started in capital Kabul on Saturday.
The projects were inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
The projects are: the second phase of Kotal Khairkhane road, the first part of the Shahid square to Qasaba, and the Airport road to Gumruk.
In the inauguration ceremony, Mullah Baradar said that Kabul municipality is working hard to beautify and regulate the city, and people should cooperate with the government in protecting public benefit projects.
He directed the officials of Kabul municipality to complete the mentioned projects on time and with good quality.
The second phase of Kotel Khairkhaneh road is 2.5 kilometers long and 60 meters wide. Thie road will cost 364 million Afghanis and will be completed in 20 months.
The Shahid square-Qasaba road is 1.8 kilometers long and 45 meters wide, which will be built at a cost of 175 million Afghanis in one year.
The Airport-Gumruk road is 2.7 km long and 60 meters wide, which will be completed at a cost of 407 million Afghanis in 20 months.
The projects are funded by Kabul Municipality.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on Friday that the main threat for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members emanates from Afghanistan where international terrorist groups find shelter due to unstable and indefinite political situation.
Speaking at a meeting of the SCO defense ministers in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Shoygu said Washington has stepped up efforts to restore its positions in Central and South Asia that were lost after the withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan, Anadolu Agency reported.
The military chief called “unacceptable” the deployment of the American military infrastructure in the region, arguing that intentions should be regarded as “a direct threat to stability in the SCO space.”
According to him, the US is trying to impose a new security system in the Asia-Pacific region for dominance.
This comes as the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly emphasized that it does not allow anyone to pose threats to any other country from Afghanistan soil.
Recently, Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid said that no destructive groups including Daesh have physical presence in Afghanistan,
In a statement on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the victory of the Mujahideen against the then communist government, the Islamic Emirate said that it is a day of freedom of the Afghan nation.
The Islamic Emirate described the coup by People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan on 27th April 1978 as a dark day in history, as a result of which the people of Afghanistan suffered severe human and financial losses.
The statement said that the Afghan nation suffered huge casualties in their 14-year struggle against the thoughts and actions of the communists, as 1.5 million people died and millions more faced various hardships.
“After 20 years of Jihad, our country was freed from another occupation and the Islamic system was established, so the Islamic Emirate will make its utmost efforts so that the fruits of decades of sacrifice and struggle of this nation are not wasted,” the statement said.
“It was the wish of the martyrs to fully implement the Islamic system in the country, and therefore, the Islamic Emirate is trying to facilitate development and prosperity under the shadow of the Islamic system in order to realize the goals of the Afghan people’s jihads,” it added.
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