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EU envoy hopes dialogue among Afghans takes place inside the country
The European Union’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, has expressed hope that dialogue among Afghans will take place inside their country.
“I would hope that dialogue can take place inside their country. I don’t think there is a need to exclude Afghans from outside, but I think my experience is that to be able to have a meaningful dialogue you need to sit down face to face and engage over time, and that is lot much easier if you are in the same place,” Niklasson told reporters in Kabul on Sunday, after meeting officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) during his visit to the country.
“It is clear, I think, who would be on one side of the table, and that is of course the de facto authorities. It is more difficult to decide or to find a way of who should represent other Afghans. In fact, I don’t think we should necessarily think about this as a table with two sides. I think we should think about it more as a roundtable where you have different interests, different political interests, different ethnic origins, men and women who can come together,” Niklasson added.
The diplomat also said that the ban on women’s work in NGOs raises a “serious obstacle” to assistance reaching women and children.
“A harsh winter is coming to an end, but the humanitarian situation remains worse than ever, with more than 28 million vulnerable Afghans in need of assistance, more than half of them are children below the age of 17,” Niklasson said.
On the issue of ban on secondary schoolgirls and female university students, the envoy said that he did not hear any “firm commitment” that schools were going to open at the beginning of the school year which will commence in less than three weeks.
“Although many (ministers) confirmed the right of girls and women to study, I did not hear any firm commitment that schools were going to open at the beginning of the school year after Nowruz, despite very clear question from our side. But opening the schools and universities to provide quality education to Afghan boys and girls, women and men is not optional. It is a necessary investment in the future, in the next generation, in a better Afghanistan, and above all it is a request by all the Afghans we speak to,” Niklasson said.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
The Islamic Emirate has announced that it will not participate in the upcoming meeting of special envoys of regional countries on Afghanistan, scheduled to be held in Tehran, despite having received an invitation.
In a statement, Zia Ahmad Takal, Head of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Islamic Emirate has maintained continuous and active engagement with all regional countries through various organizations, regional formats, and bilateral mechanisms, achieving notable progress in promoting mutual understanding and regional cooperation.
The statement added that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes regional cooperation should be advanced by strengthening existing mechanisms and formats within the region.
Tehran is set to host the meeting next week, with special envoys from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Russia expected to attend.
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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