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NATO troops’ future in Afghanistan still to be decided on: Stoltenberg
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that NATO and its allies “strongly support all efforts to try to find a peaceful negotiated solution” for Afghanistan.
Addressing a virtual press conference on the launch of NATO’s 2020 annual report, Stoltenberg stated: “That’s the reason why we welcome the US -Taliban agreement last year, and that’s the reason why we also support efforts to make progress in the peace process, and renewed efforts to try to strengthen the efforts to find a peaceful negotiated solution.”
“I think it’s also extremely important that all regional actors are taking part, they have their part of the responsibility for helping the peace process in Afghanistan, to go forward,” Stoltenberg added.
Meanwhile, the NATO Chief said the organization would discuss the May 1, deadline for withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, in the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting next week.
“We will, of course, assess, we will discuss and consult in NATO, as we move closer to the 1st of May deadline.”
“We also continue to demonstrate our commitment to the Afghan security forces, partly by continuing to train, assist and advise them, but also by continuing to provide funding for the Afghan security forces.”
“We will assess, we will monitor, we will consult, and then we will make the decision, as we move forward together as 30 allies, we have to remember that, of course, the US has a significant presence in Afghanistan as part of the NATO presence there,” he said.
“But now the majority of the troops in Afghanistan, the majority of the international troops in Afghanistan they are non-US – demonstrating the strong commitment of European allies, partners around the globe, to participate in the NATO mission in Afghanistan,” Stoltenberg noted.
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Girls’ education is a ‘vital issue’ for Afghanistan: Karzai
Former president Hamid Karzai said in a meeting with Iran’s ambassador and special representative, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, that education of girls was a “vital issue” for Afghanistan.
Karzai said he appreciated Iran’s cooperation and its standing with the Afghan people, especially Iran’s contributions to education in Afghanistan.
During the meeting, Karzai said peace and stability in the region are in the interest of all regional countries.
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Uzbekistan’s humanitarian aid arrives in Balkh
A shipment of humanitarian aid from Uzbekistan was handed over on Thursday to the local officials of Balkh province in the trade port of Hairatan.
Local authorities said the aid, which includes flour, oil, wheat, sugar and meat, has been handed over by Uzbekistan’s Surkhandarya governor to the governor of Balkh.
The governor of Surkhandarya stated the purpose of sending this aid was to support the people of Afghanistan and stressed the need for the development of good relations between the two countries.
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Afghanistan’s problems caused more damage to Pakistan than 3 wars with India: Durrani
Islamabad’s special envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani said on Wednesday that Pakistan has suffered more due to Afghanistan’s internal situation than Pakistan has suffered in three wars with India in terms of blood spilt and finances drained.
Durrani said at a one-day International Conference titled “Pakistan in the Emerging Geopolitical Landscape”, which was organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), that over 80,000 Pakistanis died in the two decades of the War on Terror and that his country was still counting its dead and injured.
“After the withdrawal of NATO forces, it was hoped that peace in Afghanistan would bring peace to the region. However, such expectations were short-lived,” he said.
He also stated that attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group on Pakistan’s border areas increased by 65 percent, while suicide attacks increased by 500 percent.
“The TTP’s enhanced attacks on Pakistan while using Afghan soil have been a serious concern for Pakistan. Another worrying aspect is the participation of Afghan nationals in these attacks,” he said.
Durrani also said Pakistan had suffered geopolitically since the Soviet Union invaded the neighboring country.
“The post-9/11 world order has negatively impacted Pakistan. Apart from losing 80,000 citizens’ lives, including 8,000 law enforcement agency personnel, the country’s economic opportunity cost is estimated at $150 billion,” Durrani said.
Talking about the future outlook for Pakistan in the regional context, Durrani said that while “our eastern neighbor is likely to continue with its anti-Pakistan pursuits, the western border poses an avoidable irritant in the short to medium term.”
However, he said Pakistan can overcome its difficulties with Afghanistan, including the TTP challenge.
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