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Lavrov opens Moscow Summit, says Afghan conflict is fueling extremism
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov officially opened Thursday’s landmark peace summit in Moscow which has brought together representatives of the Afghan Republic and the Taliban, along with other key stakeholders, in a concerted push by the foreign community to accelerate the peace process.
Addressing the opening of the meeting Lavrov said insecurity in Afghanistan is fueling the rise of extremist groups, including ISIS.
He said this will threaten the region and increase terrorism and in turn called on the United States and the Taliban to stick to commitments sealed in the Doha Agreement signed in February last year.
Lavrov said the Doha process has not yielded positive results for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan but that Russia expects progress at the Moscow meeting. “At the same time, we are seeing the situation (conflict) get worse,” he said.
Lavrov said Russia is particularly concerned about the fact that conflict traditionally intensifies in spring and summer in Afghanistan. “We see that both sides of the war are endangering the civilian population.”
Also attending the meeting is US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, who said earlier Thursday that the Doha talks have for now been pushed to one side.
Delegates from Pakistan, China, Iran, Turkey and Qatar are also in attendance, while Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan’s chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation is leading the Afghan Republic’s 12-member team.
This team includes only one woman, Habiba Sarabi.
In a tweet Thursday afternoon, one of the Republic’s delegates Nader Nadery stated he hoped an “equal number of women on tables should become the norm.”
While Afghanistan has one woman present, the Taliban was devoid of any female representation.
The Moscow meeting is one of two that have been scheduled over the next few weeks – the other planned for Turkey next month and comes amid a new push by the US to get the two warring sides to find a political solution to the 20-year old war.
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Continued aid to Afghanistan vital for regional security: Kazakh president
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.
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Islamic Emirate declines to attend Tehran meeting on Afghanistan
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Sirajuddin Haqqani: A government that intimidates its people is not a true government
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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