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Uzbek president warns UN General Assembly against ‘leaving Afghanistan alone’
Leaving Afghanistan alone with its own problems would be a “grave mistake”, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev warned at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
Mirziyoyev said that the situation in Afghanistan directly impacts international security and the new developments in the country demands a unique approach to resolving the Afghan crisis.
“Ignoring, isolating, and imposing sanctions only exacerbates the hardships faced by the ordinary Afghan people.” Mirziyouyev said. “We believe that humanitarian aid to the Afghan people should not be reduced. We call for the development of appropriate mechanisms to utilize Afghanistan's frozen international assets to address the acute social problems in that country.”
He said: “We need an open, peaceful and sustainable Afghanistan that is actively engaged in regional cooperation initiatives and is ready for mutually beneficial partnerships with its neighbors and other countries.”
“I urge the international community to come together in resolving the issue of Afghanistan. I believe it is essential that under the leadership of the United Nations, we jointly develop a flexible and constructive approach to the Afghan issue,” Mirziyouyev said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Afghan people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance and support.
“Regardless of political motives, the transformation of the interim government into an inclusive administration in which all segments of society are fairly represented will pave the way for Afghanistan and will be positively received in the international arena,” Erdogan said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres meanwhile said in his opening speech: “In Afghanistan, a staggering 70% of the population needs humanitarian assistance with the rights of women and girls systematically denied.”
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also raised the issue of Afghanistan and said his country continues to “coordinate international efforts and facilitate dialogue between the United Nations, the countries concerned, and the caretaker government of Afghanistan (IEA) to ensure compliance with the Doha Agreement, in a way that ensures non-recurrence of past mistakes, in order to prevent Afghanistan from sliding into a difficult-to-manage humanitarian crisis or becoming a haven for terrorist individuals and groups and to ensure that the Afghan people receive the international support and assistance they need, and enjoy human rights, particularly minority rights and women's rights in education and work.”
Afghanistan’s seat at the UN General Assembly remained empty this year due to the Islamic Emirate not yet having been recognized globally as the legitimate government.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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