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Afghanistan outcome very regrettable: Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germany had not achieved what it had hoped for in Afghanistan and that the outcome was very “regrettable”.
Speaking to Deutsche Welle, Merkel said: “We are of course very sad about the fact that we simply did not manage to achieve what we wanted to do, namely find a self-sustaining political order in Afghanistan, one in which girls can go to school, women can fulfill their wishes, and with lasting peace.”
She also said that the blame for this lies not with Germany alone, but according to her Afghans also failed to get this right.
“Often, I’ve asked in discussions: how come so many young Afghan men want to come here, while at the same time our men and women in uniform are stationed over there? … Nevertheless, we simply must accept that, despite our best intentions, we did not manage to create the order we would have liked to see there,” Merkel said.
“The blame for this lies not with Germany alone. The Afghans, for their part, did not get it done either. It is simply very regrettable.”
On the evacuation process from Afghanistan Merkel said that Germany managed to evacuate lots of local staff from the country, while according to her still many remain in the country.
“We managed to evacuate lots of local staff from the country for the Federal Police and the Federal Armed Forces. Most of the helpers who are still in Afghanistan today are those who worked with us in the sphere of development aid. (…) Now we have some catch-up work to do, and we need to get as many of these people out of the country as possible. We have, after all, also helped many Afghans who did not cooperate directly with Germany, but who were active advocates of freedom and democracy in Afghanistan. Many remain there, and we will not forget about those people,” she added.
This comes after German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported Sunday that Germany is planning to send its ambassador to Afghanistan, Markus Potzel, to Kabul in the coming weeks for talks with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).
Deutsche Welle also reported Sunday that the German government is seeking a reassessment of its relations in pursuit of better communication with the IEA.
According to Welt, there is hope in Berlin that German diplomats could return to Afghanistan in some capacity, initially just on day trips.
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Afghanistan received more than $11 billion in humanitarian aid over the past five years
Afghanistan has received more than $11 billion in humanitarian assistance since the Islamic Emirate returned to power in August 2021, according to United Nations figures cited by the BBC.
Despite the substantial aid, the gap between humanitarian needs and available funding remains wide, with the United Nations warning that millions of Afghans continue to require assistance.
The decline in international funding, a growing number of people in need and the return of millions of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries have added pressure to the country’s humanitarian situation.
Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis deepened following the collapse of the previous government in August 2021. The depreciation of the national currency, the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and reductions in some international support programs further strained the economy and living conditions.
UN data shows that Afghanistan received about $5.2 billion in humanitarian assistance in 2021, followed by around $3.8 billion in 2022 and nearly $2 billion in 2023.
For 2024 and 2025, the United Nations appealed for more than $3 billion to address humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. However, funding fell short of the amounts requested.
The assistance has largely been directed toward food, healthcare, support for returnees and other urgent humanitarian needs.
The United Nations continues to classify Afghanistan as one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, stressing that sustained international support remains essential for millions of Afghans who continue to need assistance.
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Afghanistan expresses condolences over deadly Indonesia earthquake
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has expressed deep sorrow over a powerful earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, killing at least 53 people and forcing around 5,000 others to evacuate.
A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Flores Island and surrounding areas on Saturday, blocking roads and triggering landslides, Indonesian authorities said.
In a statement, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed its sympathy and condolences to the government and people of Indonesia over the casualties caused by the earthquake.
It also wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the incident.
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Afghan commerce minister meets Uzbek deputy prime minister in Termez
Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, met with Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshed Khojaev in the city of Termez to discuss expanding economic cooperation and joint investment.
The meeting, held on Saturday at the Termez Trade Center, focused on cooperation in the electricity, mining and agriculture sectors, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement.
Uzbek officials expressed interest in investing in various sectors in Afghanistan. The Afghan delegation welcomed the interest and emphasized its readiness to create the necessary conditions for expanding economic cooperation and joint investment.
Mohammad Yousuf Wafa, governor of Balkh, and Abdul Ghaffar Bahr, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Tashkent, also attended the meeting.
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