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Fayeq votes against Russia at UN, IEA says Afghanistan to remain impartial
Naseer Ahmad Fayeq, who is holding Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations, on Wednesday voted in favor of a resolution that condemned Russia’s war on Ukraine. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), however, said that Kabul will remain impartial.
The resolution demanding that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally” withdraw its military forces from Ukraine was supported by 141 of the UN’s 193 members.
China, India and South Africa were among the 35 countries that abstained, while just five – Eritrea, North Korea, Syria, Belarus and of course Russia – voted against it.
Before the vote, Fayeq had said that Russia’s attack on Ukraine is “a clear violation of international law and the UN Charter, in which it respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and refrains from threatening or using force against political independence, sovereignty and the rule of law.”
IEA, however, suggested that the vote was not Afghanistan’s official stance.
“It is our policy that we will not take side in any issue around the world. We want to attract the world’s attention to Afghanistan’s reconstruction. We want to maintain relations with all countries and be impartial. We ask all to resolve their problems through talks not fighting,” said Suhail Shaheen, IEA’s nominee for Afghanistan’s UN envoy post.
Some diplomats believe Fayeq’s vote at UN will not affect Afghanistan’s ties with Russia.
“The person who is currently holding Afghanistan’s seat at UN cannot represent a state which he doesn’t recognize, therefore, only the IEA Foreign Ministry’s statements are legally and politically reliable,” said Ahmad Sarwar, a former Afghan ambassador to India.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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SAARC failure pushes Pakistan toward trilateral ties with Afghanistan, China, Bangladesh: Dar
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has said that the failure of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is pushing Pakistan toward exploring trilateral cooperation frameworks involving Afghanistan, China, and Bangladesh.
Speaking at the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) Conference in Lahore on Friday, Dar said SAARC has “unfortunately not been able to kick off,” limiting regional economic integration and cooperation.
He said Pakistan is now looking at alternative regional arrangements to strengthen economic connectivity and trade, including trilateral formats such as China–Pakistan–Afghanistan and China–Pakistan–Bangladesh.
Dar stressed that South Asia cannot remain in “isolation,” noting that the region, home to nearly two billion people, is missing significant economic opportunities due to weak cooperation among neighbouring countries.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 to promote economic and regional integration among South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The organisation was designed to encourage cooperation in areas such as trade, development, education, and cultural exchange. However, in recent years, SAARC’s effectiveness has been significantly limited due to political tensions between member states, particularly between India and Pakistan, leading to stalled summits and reduced regional engagement.
As a result, regional economic cooperation in South Asia has largely remained underdeveloped compared to other regional blocs around the world.
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