Connect with us

Latest News

Chinese FM makes four-point proposal to tackle Afghan issues

Published

on

The Group of 20 (G20) should leverage its characteristics and strengths to contribute to the peace, stability and prosperity of Afghanistan and the region, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative Wang Yi, also Chinese state councilor and foreign minister, said on Tuesday.

Wang made a four-point proposal on tackling issues including the humanitarian crisis and terrorism in Afghanistan while attending a special G20 leaders' meeting on Afghanistan via video link in Beijing.

According to Wang, Afghanistan is at the crossroads with both opportunities and challenges, difficulties and hopes. The experience from the past 20-years shows that a country should choose its development path based on its condition, and imposing ideology and military intervention to intervene in other's internal affairs will only lead to constant turbulence and severe humanitarian disasters.

Wang called on the G20 to respect Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and let the Afghan people decide their destiny to contribute to the Afghanistan and the region's peace, stability, prosperity, and development.

Regarding the situation in Afghanistan, Wang made four proposals.

First, he called on the international community to focus on people's livelihood with humanitarian support to help the Afghans overcome difficulties such as food shortages, the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of medical supplies.

China has announced to urgently provide Afghanistan with 200 million yuan (about 31 million U.S. dollars) worth of assistance for mostly food, materials for winter, medicines and COVID-19 vaccines. The first batch of supplies has been delivered to the Afghan side, Wang said, urging countries that created the crisis to take on responsibilities to avoid new humanitarian crises in the country.

Second, Afghanistan should stay committed to an open, inclusive path of development, Wang said, suggesting the international community engage with the Afghan side in a rational and pragmatic manner and support the country to establish an inclusive political structure and sound domestic and foreign policies.

Stressing that the fundamental way to settle the Afghan issue is to help the country realize a peaceful reconstruction and a sound economic and social development, Wang appealed countries to lift their unilateral sanctions against Afghanistan.

International financial institutions should also enhance financial support to facilitate Afghanistan's poverty alleviation and infrastructure constructions, Wang added.

Third, the Chinese foreign minister reiterated its zero-tolerance attitude towards terrorism. He called for concrete actions to ensure Afghanistan stay away from terrorism and proposed a united front for the international community to counter-terrorism.

Fourth, the international community should reach consensuses and work jointly to push forward the establishment of relevant mechanisms of Afghanistan, Wang pointed out, adding that he recognized the UN's central role in providing humanitarian assistance and maintaining peace and stability in Afghanistan.

China supports the Afghans to realize a peaceful and prosperous future in their country and is ready to work with all parties to help Afghans open up a new chapter in their country's history, Wang stated.

The meeting is being convened by Italy, the current seat of the rotating G20 presidency.

Latest News

Eight Afghan migrants die as boat capsizes off Greek island

Published

on

Eight Afghan migrants died after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized off Greece's eastern island of Rhodes on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

Greek authorities said that the capsizing was the result of the boat’s maneuvering to evade a patrol vessel.

A total of 18 migrants — 12 men, three women and three minors — all Afghan nationals, were rescued, Greece's coast guard said Saturday. The dead were also from Afghanistan, it said.

Some migrants remained hospitalized, with one in critical condition, authorities said.

Two Turkish citizens, ages 23 and 19, were arrested as the suspected traffickers. The boat sank after capsizing, the coast guard said.

The sinking off Rhodes was the second deadly incident involving migrants in the past week.

Seven migrants were killed and dozens were believed missing after a boat partially sank south of the island of Crete over the weekend — one of four rescue operations during which more than 200 migrants were rescued.

 

Continue Reading

Latest News

Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires meets with IEA deputy foreign minister

Welcoming the diplomat’s visit to Kabul, Stanikzai underscored the importance of political relations between Afghanistan and Norway, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Published

on

The Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires for Afghanistan, Per Albert Ilsaas, on Saturday met with IEA’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanikzai, in Kabul.

Welcoming the diplomat’s visit to Kabul, Stanikzai underscored the importance of political relations between Afghanistan and Norway, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

In addition to focusing on bilateral political, humanitarian, and other pertinent issues, the two sides expressed hope that continued engagement would lead to constructive solutions to related issues.

This comes two weeks after the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi expressed disappointment regarding the decision by the Norwegian government to downgrade diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.

Balkhi said in a post on X that such decisions should not be linked with internal affairs of other countries.

“Diplomatic engagement is most effective when it fosters mutual understanding and respect, even amidst differing viewpoints,” he stated.

“Access to consular services is a fundamental right of all nationals. We strongly urge all parties to prioritize this principle in the spirit of international cooperation,” he added.

Continue Reading

Latest News

A new polio vaccination campaign is set to launch in Afghanistan

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.

Published

on

The “Afghanistan Polio-Free” organization announced that a new round of polio vaccinations will begin on Monday, December 23, in various provinces of Afghanistan.

The organization did not specify which provinces will be targeted or how long the vaccination campaign will last.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.

On December 4, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement reporting a 283% increase in polio cases in Afghanistan. According to the WHO, the number of positive environmental samples for wild poliovirus type 1 in Afghanistan in 2024 reached 84, compared to 62 cases in 2023.

The Ministry of Public Health claimed in November 2024 that no new cases of polio had been reported in Afghanistan for the year.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Ariana News. All rights reserved!