Afghanistan looks forward to overshadow in RECCA summit

Afghanistan Foreign Ministry says that the National Unity Government (NUG) expects that the commitments of the 6th RECCA summit to Afghanistan to be fulfilled.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the RECCA summit will be held on the upcoming Thursday and Friday with active participation by key regional and donor countries and organizations as well as by the private sector.

The 6th summit of Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) will feature presentations on Afghanistan’s energy security, trade, and regional connectivity, in addition to roundtable discussions on the greatest challenges and opportunities facing Afghanistan today.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that around 70 countries and organizations have been invited to take part in the summit where major projects concerning to the economic growth of Afghanistan and the region would be discussed.

According to Foreign ministry, building on the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) series initiated in 2005 – and held in Kabul, New Delhi, Islamabad, Istanbul, and Dushanbe – RECCA-VI, to be convened on 3-4 September 2015 in Kabul, will:

• Provide a comprehensive review of progress since RECCA-I, including in the areas of trade & transport, energy, minerals extraction, private investment, vocational skills training, and disaster preparedness.

• Build an international consensus around action plans for a select group of regional investment projects and policy priorities, focused on overcoming implementation obstacles and attracting new investment partners.

• Reaffirm through the RECCA VI Declaration international support for a sovereign Afghanistan integrated in the regional and global economy.

• Ensure that the Istanbul Process Confidence-Building Measures are achievable and supported by the Tokyo and London Conferences on Afghanistan commitments, as well as coordinated with strategies agreed through SAARC, CAREC, ECO, SCO, UNSPECA, TRACECA and other regional forums.

Consultations on the above goals will occur in advance of RECCA-VI with Afghan Ministries, regional and international counterparts.

Preceding the high-level Ministerial Meeting on 4 September, an Academic Forum and a Regional Business Forum, held on 3 September will engage scholars and business representatives from across the region and beyond around critical regional economic cooperation themes, including in the areas of trade & transport, energy & resource corridors, streamlining customs & border crossings, and attracting investment & technical know-how from the private sector.

The Summit’s main theme is “the Silk Road through Afghanistan” which revolves around the concept of turning Afghanistan into a regional hub for connecting Central Asia and South Asia.

Afghanistan is expecting to reach new development cooperation of the regional countries in the extractive industries, transport and trade sectors in RECCA summit.

New Delhi, Islamabad, Istanbul and Dushanbe are places that hosted RECCA summit in the previous years.