Foreign Ministry says gov’t entering talks ‘with a spirit of goodwill’ 

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Monday welcomed the statement by the heads of the European Union and Canada on imminent peace talks and said government fully intends to seize the opportunity to end the conflict through negotiations. 

In a statement issued early Monday, MoFA stated that the Afghan government was also entering talks “with a spirit of goodwill and constructive intent”. 

Referring to the release of the Taliban prisoners as an example of this, MoFA stated that this move in itself was a goodwill gesture to build confidence “that goes beyond the Afghan government’s obligations”.

MoFA also called on the Taliban to reciprocate by agreeing on a ceasefire and agree to an immediate reduction of violence. 

“The Government of Afghanistan shares the vision for an end state of peace talks where all Afghans, women and men, continue to thrive with their fundament rights intact.”

This statement comes after the EU Heads of Mission based in Kabul and the Canadian ambassador issued a statement Sunday calling for all democratic and human rights achievements of the past 19 years to be preserved during upcoming negotiations with the Taliban. 

The EU and Canada also urged all warring parties to immediately start talks to find a negotiated settlement to end the long-term conflict.