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U.S. Envoy Discusses Afghan Peace With Russia, China, EU Officials
The U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad has “exchanged views” with representatives of Russia, China and the EU on the current status of the Afghan peace process, the U.S. State Department said.
In a statement on Friday, the U.S. State Department said that Khalilzad met with Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s presidential envoy to Afghanistan and Deng Xijun, his Chinese counterpart on March 21-22 and “discussed common efforts to bring peace, prosperity, and security to Afghanistan.”
“They underscored their respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, as well as Afghanistan’s right to make it’s own political, security, and economic decisions,” the statement said.
It said that the United States, China, and Russia agreed to hold further discussions on the issue and that the exact dates and sites for such talks are to be decided.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department in a separate statement said that Khalilzad had held consultations with Roland Kobia, the EU’s special envoy in Washington on the Afghan peace process, on March 21-22, 2019.
Khalilzad and Kobia “agreed that bringing an end to Afghanistan’s war and achieving peace must be the key objective, and that violence should cease,” the statement said.
“Any peace agreement should uphold the rights of all Afghans, in particular, those of women, minorities, and children, and ensure Afghan soil is not used by international terrorist groups or individuals against any country,” the statement noted.
“Both sides underscored their respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan,” the statement added.
According to the statement, the U.S. and EU encourage all countries to support the current peace process, inclusive intra-Afghan talks, and lasting development and reconstruction in Afghanistan.
Turkish Airlines resumed its flights to Afghanistan with its first flight landing at Kabul International Airport on Tuesday, after almost three years.
Turkish charge d’affaires in Kabul, Cenk Unal, said at a ceremony to mark the occasion that the resumption of Turkish Airlines flights to Afghanistan is a clear example of the expansion of friendly and historical relations between the two countries.
He added that Turkish Airlines flies to numerous countries, and flights to Afghanistan will help expand cultural and commercial relations.
Officials of the Ministry of Transport stated that the resumption of Turkish Airlines flights shows that the people of Turkey stand with the people of Afghanistan in any circumstances.
They called on other international airlines to also resume flights saying that currently Kabul airport is safe and secure.
Turkish Airlines currently has 454 modern aircraft. It connects 348 destinations in six continents and in 130 countries.
The European Union announced Tuesday it has made available 400,000 euros (over 30 million afghani) in response to widespread flooding in the north of Afghanistan in the past few weeks.
This humanitarian aid will provide immediate emergency assistance to beneficiaries in the regions of Baghlan, Badakhshan, and Takhar, the EU said in a statement.
The assistance will be delivered by EU humanitarian partners ACTED and DACAAR. It will include an emergency multi-sectoral response through cash assistance as well as access to clean water, emergency sanitation and hygiene supplies, the statement read.
The EU mentioned that it has been funding humanitarian operations in Afghanistan since 1994, providing close to 1.8 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in funding.
Last year alone, the EU mobilised 159 million euros ($172 million) in humanitarian funding.
In addition, since 2021 the EU has organised a Humanitarian Air Bridge to Afghanistan, with 35 flights so far that have carried over 1,600 tonnes of aid.
Turkish Airlines will resume its flights to Afghanistan tomorrow (Tuesday), officials said on Monday.
The Ministry of Transport said that a Turkish Airlines plane will land in Kabul airport on Tuesday.
“Tomorrow, Turkish Airlines will resume its flights to Kabul International Airport. There will be four flights between Kabul and Istanbul per week. This is good news for Afghan travelers. For those Afghans who travel to European countries, they can move easily through Turkey,” said Imamuddin Ahmadi, the spokesman of the Ministry of Transport.
However, the Chamber of Commerce and Investment emphasized that visas should be provided to businessmen and citizens of the country, otherwise companies will benefit the most, not Afghan citizens and businessmen.
“Not a single passenger is allowed, the reason is that they do not issue visas. If the Turks don’t start issuing visas, or the Arabs don’t issue visas, the plane will come for the cargo and there will be little movement of people,” said Khanjan Alokozay, a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment.
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