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EU to host anti-corruption meeting in Kabul ahead of donor summit
The EU Delegation to Afghanistan will on Thursday hold the sixth annual anti-corruption conference in order to take stock of results achieved in fighting corruption.
This comes ahead of next month’s donor pledging conference where the international community will meet to discuss financial assistance to Afghanistan for the period 2021 to 2024.
The EU said in a statement that in addition to the keynote addresses by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, UN Special Representative Deborah Lyons and EU Ambassador to Afghanistan Andreas Von Brandt, the conference will bring together experts, policy makers, civil society and international partners engaged in anti-corruption efforts in Afghanistan.
The conference is jointly organized by the Ministry of Finance, UNAMA and the EU Delegation to Afghanistan.
“Fighting corruption builds trust in a society, something Afghanistan is in dire need of. Soon, Afghan and international partners will meet at the upcoming Geneva Conference where anti-corruption is expected to be at the center of discussions and decisions.
“The conference here in Kabul serves as a starting point for the discussions in Geneva, and an opportunity to reflect on Afghanistan’s anti-corruption efforts. Some progress has been done, but there is more work to be done. I look forward to discussing this with representatives from civil society, the government and the international community,” EU Ambassador Andreas Von Brandt said.
This year’s conference has been integrated with the Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework II (ANPDP II) workshop on effective governance and anti-corruption.
The aim is to provide inputs to the enrichment of ANPDF II when it comes to defining priorities of the Government in the fight against corruption for the next four years.
Pakistan says communities living along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Durand Line want peace and stability, despite ongoing security concerns in the region.
Speaking during a weekly media briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said there are no major issues between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, adding that residents on both sides of the Durand Line want peaceful relations and greater regional stability.
However, Andrabi claimed that terrorism originating from Afghan territory continues to undermine peace efforts.
He said Islamabad believes militant activity crossing from Afghanistan remains a significant obstacle to improving regional security and bilateral ties.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected such allegations, maintaining that no militant group is allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten neighboring countries.
Andrabi also said Pakistan remains diplomatically engaged on regional matters involving Afghanistan, Iran, India, and Somalia, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain Islamabad’s preferred means of resolving disputes.
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Afghanistan-Gambia ties discussed during Doha meeting
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Doha, has met with Omar Jah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Gambia to Qatar, to discuss bilateral relations and areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy in Doha, Jah also oversees Gambian diplomatic affairs related to Afghanistan.
The meeting focused on Afghanistan-Gambia relations, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and potential investment opportunities in the country.
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party, has said that if capable statesmen had been in power, people living on both sides of the Durand Line could have moved freely across the line.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Achakzai said that countries with histories of major conflict, including Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, now maintain far more open borders despite past wars. He said that in many such regions, only a “paper line” remains, with limited border restrictions.
Drawing comparisons with the disputed Durand Line boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Achakzai argued that a similar arrangement could have been possible in South Asia.
“What is the problem here? A Punjabi could dance in Kandahar and a Pashtun could come here. Even if we are not formally one country, we could have effectively functioned like one,” he said.
The Pakistani politician also referred to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the later U.S.-led intervention, saying Afghanistan has the right to seek war reparations from those countries to support reconstruction efforts.
Achakzai further criticised the treatment of Pashtuns in Pakistan, alleging that individuals in cities including Lahore and Karachi have faced detention and deportation.
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