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Afghanistan democracy system at risk: EU
EU Special Representative (EUSR) in Afghanistan, Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin in an interview with Ariananews said that Afghanistan democracy system is at risk.
Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin said that if the mistakes and unpleasants of the past elections repeated in the future, there would be fear of Afghanistan’s democracy system facing challenges.
Previously, The European Union has welcomed the second round of the presidential elections held on 14 June. A power-sharing agreement was finally reached between President Ghani and ‘CEO’ Abdullah in September, following intense international pressure which the outcome has frustrated the Afghan people, whose high turnout at the poll, despite high security risks, demonstrated a real commitment to democracy. Turnout in the 2015 parliamentary elections will suggest whether voters’ disappointment persists.
Now EU ambassador to Afghanistan stresses that Afghanistan upcoming election is vital for all. If there will be no commitment for preventing fraud, there would be the risk that people do not participate in the elections.
Mellbin also called for forming the electoral reforms commission as soon as it’s possible.
“I think, it would be a problem that without reforms we financially support the Afghanistan’s upcoming elections. This is a basic issue and we and other donors are emphasizing on our positions.” He said.
The EU has a long-term commitment to Afghanistan and the Afghan people. In June 2014, the Foreign Affairs Council agreed a new strategy for Afghanistan till the end of 2016.
The EU and Member States have agreed that their overarching strategic goal will be the development of Afghanistan’s institutions to provide the resilience needed to safeguard progress to date and provide the platform for a more effective and ultimately sustainable Afghan state.
Reported by Muhammad Qais Rahmani
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Girls’ education is a ‘vital issue’ for Afghanistan: Karzai
Former president Hamid Karzai said in a meeting with Iran’s ambassador and special representative, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, that education of girls was a “vital issue” for Afghanistan.
Karzai said he appreciated Iran’s cooperation and its standing with the Afghan people, especially Iran’s contributions to education in Afghanistan.
During the meeting, Karzai said peace and stability in the region are in the interest of all regional countries.
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Uzbekistan’s humanitarian aid arrives in Balkh
A shipment of humanitarian aid from Uzbekistan was handed over on Thursday to the local officials of Balkh province in the trade port of Hairatan.
Local authorities said the aid, which includes flour, oil, wheat, sugar and meat, has been handed over by Uzbekistan’s Surkhandarya governor to the governor of Balkh.
The governor of Surkhandarya stated the purpose of sending this aid was to support the people of Afghanistan and stressed the need for the development of good relations between the two countries.
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Afghanistan’s problems caused more damage to Pakistan than 3 wars with India: Durrani
Islamabad’s special envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani said on Wednesday that Pakistan has suffered more due to Afghanistan’s internal situation than Pakistan has suffered in three wars with India in terms of blood spilt and finances drained.
Durrani said at a one-day International Conference titled “Pakistan in the Emerging Geopolitical Landscape”, which was organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), that over 80,000 Pakistanis died in the two decades of the War on Terror and that his country was still counting its dead and injured.
“After the withdrawal of NATO forces, it was hoped that peace in Afghanistan would bring peace to the region. However, such expectations were short-lived,” he said.
He also stated that attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group on Pakistan’s border areas increased by 65 percent, while suicide attacks increased by 500 percent.
“The TTP’s enhanced attacks on Pakistan while using Afghan soil have been a serious concern for Pakistan. Another worrying aspect is the participation of Afghan nationals in these attacks,” he said.
Durrani also said Pakistan had suffered geopolitically since the Soviet Union invaded the neighboring country.
“The post-9/11 world order has negatively impacted Pakistan. Apart from losing 80,000 citizens’ lives, including 8,000 law enforcement agency personnel, the country’s economic opportunity cost is estimated at $150 billion,” Durrani said.
Talking about the future outlook for Pakistan in the regional context, Durrani said that while “our eastern neighbor is likely to continue with its anti-Pakistan pursuits, the western border poses an avoidable irritant in the short to medium term.”
However, he said Pakistan can overcome its difficulties with Afghanistan, including the TTP challenge.
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