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‘I am still president of Afghanistan’, Ghani says in TV interview
Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, the former president of Afghanistan, said in the first television interview since he fled the country on August 15 last year that according to the country’s constitution, he is still technically the country’s president.
In an interview with the newly established ABN channel, Ghani said: “I am the president according to the constitution and until the people of Afghanistan legally elect someone else, I am the president.”
He also stated that he fled the country because he was afraid of being killed and did not want to face the same fate as Dr. Mohammad Najibullah, ex-president of Afghanistan who was assassinated in 1996.
However, many Afghans call him shameless, adding that Ghani's escape caused serious misery among the people in the country.
In response to the question on why he fled Afghanistan, Ghani said that he was the last person to leave Afghanistan and most of the cabinet members, including the Minister of Defense, had already fled by the time he flew out.
“I was the last person to leave the country, and this was also so that the bitter experience of Dr. Najib regarding an Afghan president would not be repeated,” he said.
In addition, Ghani stated that all politicians had a part in the downfall of the previous regime and he accuses Abdullah Abdullah, the former head of the National Reconciliation Council, for destabilizing the republic system. He also criticized Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy for Afghanistans who led peace talks with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and secured the Doha agreement in February 2020.
“Dr. Abdullah is responsible for not consolidating the republic, especially in the last seven years and secondly, he was in charge of the Afghanistan Peace Council, which step did he take on paper, which plan did he come up with, or in practice, when he went to Doha on a special plane and then came back on the day of Eid and said that the Taliban is not ready to make any kind of move,” Ghani added.
But Afghans at home lashed out at Ghani and said his words meant nothing and that he failed to even apologize for his actions.
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Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community: UN envoy
Otunbayeva said that the end of armed conflict in Afghanistan has delivered a period of stability and created opportunity for a positive peace.
Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community, Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, said at the UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday.
Otunbayeva said that the end of armed conflict in Afghanistan has delivered a period of stability and created opportunity for a positive peace.
“A number of positive steps have been taken in the fields of economy, infrastructure, and foreign relations to seize this opportunity and begin to address the many negative legacies of war,” she said. “I have growing concerns, however, that this opportunity is being missed. The Afghan population faces a serious humanitarian and development crisis as international funding drops.”
The envoy, however, noted that the adoption of the moral oversight law shortly after the Doha meeting has undermined this process.
“We are at the same time trying to address the political legacy of Afghanistan’s long conflict. In the current situation, Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community. Individual Taliban (IEA), many of whom are de facto ministers, are under sanctions and cannot travel without permission from this Council. Afghanistan’s Central Bank assets are frozen, limiting the development potential of the private sector,” she said.
At the meeting, US and UK representatives also called on the IEA to reverse restrictions on women and girls.
“The Taliban (IEA) cannot expect the international community to move forward on the UN process without first meeting their international obligations on the fundamental freedoms of women and girls, political inclusion, and counter terrorism.” said Jess Jambert-Gray, Deputy Political Coordinator of UK at UN.
Chinese and Russian envoys expressed over security risks from Afghanistan.
“Terrorist forces such as Da’esh, Al-Qaida, and ETIM are still active in Afghanistan, posing a threat to Afghanistan and international and regional security. We call on the interim government of Afghanistan to take vigorous actions to resolutely combat the various terrorist forces in its territory, and to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming an enclave for terrorist organizations.” Said Fu Cong, Chinese envoy to UN.
Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia said: “The Russian Federation has consistently advocated for a realistic and comprehensive approach to Afghanistan, which should be based on objective analysis and a balanced assessment of the situation. It is imperative to have constructive cooperation within the international community on the Afghan issue. First and foremost, it means paying due regard for the needs of the Afghans themselves and rejecting one’s own narrow interests, as well as maintaining patient dialogue with the de facto Afghan authorities on a wide range of pressing problems, without blackmail or pressure.”
Pakistan’s envoy Munir Akram termed the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as the largest terrorist organization in Afghanistan.
He said that TTP is conducting almost daily terrorist attacks against Pakistan with full support and protection of the Islamic Emirate and sponsorship of Pakistan’s major adversary.
The Islamic Emirate, however, denies all these allegations and human rights violations and says that if anyone has evidence about the presence of terrorists, they can provide them.
"We have six neighbors, No neighboring country has complained. There is only one country that sometimes makes allegations. Unfortunately, instead of getting information and stating the facts, the Secretary General of the United Nations made an accusation that did not suit him,” said Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
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IEA appoints ambassador to Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan handed over the Afghan embassy to the Islamic Emirate in February this year.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday announced the appointment of Abdul Ghafar Bahr as the new ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in Uzbekistan.
Hafiz Zia Ahmed, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced Bahr’s appointment on his X account.
Bahr was present at the recent farewell meeting of Khawaja Shadmanov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan in Kabul, with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Uzbekistan handed over the Afghan embassy to the Islamic Emirate in February this year.
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Muttaqi invited to upcoming Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan
The next Moscow format meeting is expected to be held in the next two weeks, Muttaqi announced on Thursday, adding that a high-level IEA delegation will attend it.
Russian ambassador in Kabul Dmirtry Zhirnov, in a meeting with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi on Wednesday, invited him to participate in the next meeting of the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan.
During the meeting, Zhirnov emphasized that Russia places great importance on its relations with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and, therefore, seeks to ensure the participation of Afghan delegations in all forums hosted by Russia, whether regional or international, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Expressing gratitude for the invitation, FM Muttaqi noted that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, viewing the Moscow Format as a constructive and beneficial initiative, has actively participated in previous meetings since its inception.
Muttaqi further called the upcoming meeting as a valuable opportunity to engage in constructive discussions with senior Russian officials and representatives from regional countries on matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation.
The next Moscow format meeting is expected to be held in the next two weeks, Muttaqi announced on Thursday, adding that a high-level IEA delegation will attend it.
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