STATEMENT BY H.E. ERSHAD AHMADI, DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONTACT GROUP MEETING NEW YORK, 20 SEPTEMBER 2013 Your Excellency Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, Ambassador Michael Koch, Ambassador Jan Kobiç, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, It is a great honor to be here with you today on behalf of the Afghan Government, and as the co-chair of the ICG. I wish to thank the United Nations for organizing this important meeting and for the kind hospitality extended to us. Ambassador Koch, thank you for your strong commitment in keeping the ICG dialogue moving, and may I thank you for the leadership you have demonstrated in the context of the international community’s crucial partnership with Afghanistan. Please allow me to also thank participating countries, for their valuable interest and contribution to Afghanistan’s development and for their sustained commitment to our success. Ladies and Gentlemen: I have the honor of addressing you for the first time in my capacity as Afghanistan’s deputy foreign minister and as a co-chair of this meeting. I am looking forward to working with you to further broaden our partnership for peace and development in Afghanistan. This meeting takes place at a critical and decisive period. The path we are on and the decisions we make from now up to 2014 will have wide-ranging implications for long-term peace and security in Afghanistan and as a consequence, for the broader region. In the past twelve years, Afghanistan has experienced a real transformation. With the support of our international and regional allies and friends, we have had considerable progress in the social, economic and political spheres. We have together built institutions that have allowed Afghanistan to re-assert its sovereign rights. I am confident the capacities that have emerged in Afghanistan as a result of our 12-year partnership with the international community will propel us smoothly and successfully towards and beyond 2014. This new reality of Afghanistan must be taken into account as we embark on a revised partnership with the international community. At the same time we recognize that consolidating our gains and tackling the residual challenges will require your continued support and strong commitment. In this context, I wish to express our government’s deep appreciation for the important role that the United Nations has played in Afghanistan in the last 12 years. UN support for capacity building and the strengthening of Afghan institutions, as well as its role in humanitarian and reconstruction efforts were crucial, as we emerged from war and turmoil. As we complete the Transition and move towards the Transformation Decade, we look forward to consultations to further define the role of the United Nations and to forge a better and more effective partnership in support of a sovereign Afghanistan. Ladies & Gentlemen, Allow me to focus on some of the key issues that Afghanistan needs to address on our path towards a future of stability, prosperity and democratic way of life. First, I believe we need to counter the narrative in regard to international community’s disengagement or withdrawal. This perception is creating uncertainty and triggers trends and behavior at national and regional levels that run counter to our shared interest for stability. As security transition nears its end, and the Transformation Decade approaches, we must be confident about the continued support of the international community through a reframed and solidified partnership. The future support of the international community to Afghanistan will be essential to strengthening our security forces. In this respect, our negotiations on a Bilateral Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States have reached a decisive stage and we hope to conclude it in the next few weeks. Secondly, in a few months, we will have a milestone event in our history and that is the Presidential and provincial council elections. As you will hear shortly from Mr. Nuristani, Chairman of the Independent Election Commission, preparations are well underway. These elections will be crucial for Afghanistan’s stability and in immunizing our democratic system. A complete legal and institutional framework for the elections is now in place. Voter and candidate registration have started; and necessary security arrangements have been established. President Karzai has noted on many occasions that fair, inclusive, transparent and credible elections will be his most important legacy. Elections must result in a stronger sense of unity, and trigger a new momentum for better governance, more prosperity and increased security. On peace and reconciliation, our efforts continue unabated. We believe that the reconciliation process will be useful to the success of our security and political transition. In this regard, we believe that the role of Pakistan is crucial. President Karzai’s recent visit to Islamabad has created a silver lining towards constructive engagement. We hope that Pakistan will use its significant influence over the Taliban in the interest of peace and reconciliation. Excellencies, Three months ago, we marked an important milestone in assuming full security responsibility across the country. We are extremely proud of our security forces, who are paying the ultimate price in defending and protecting the Afghan people on a daily basis. They are fulfilling both a national and an international function in opposing the forces of global terror. Investment in Afghan security forces is therefore an investment in international peace and security since we are likely to remain the frontline and the primary target of networks of terror and violence. Commitment for provision of funding, enablers and training is therefore essential to our success. We’re also engaged in an important economic transition. Continued support from the International Community, as pledged in Tokyo Conference, will help us move steadily towards self-reliance, as we increase our national revenues through further development of the Afghan economy and attracting investments into our key productive sectors. In this context, we take our commitments in the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework seriously and will continue to strive to meet them fully. Two out of eleven Afghanistan commitments are completely achieved and the rest are either on track or close to completion. We are preparing an updated TMAF report by end of September. In the meantime, we look forward to the continued fulfillment of the commitments by our international partners in regard to aid effectiveness and predictable financial and technical assistance. Lastly, I wish to emphasize the importance of the Istanbul process, as a unique platform for dialogue and cooperation focused on Afghanistan. I believe that our neighborhood is now convinced that peace and stability in Afghanistan is crucial for peace and security in the broader region. This is especially true of the countries within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, whose leaders met recently in Bishkek. We came away convinced that constructive engagement in confronting our shared challenges is better than band-aid remedies in the form of insulation or tightening up border controls. We will continue our efforts to persuade the region that the rising tide of security and prosperity in Afghanistan will keep us all afloat. I look forward to the Senior Officials Meeting of the Istanbul process on the 23rd of September here in New York. We will have a comprehensive political agenda as well as review progress on a broad set of confidence-building measures (CBM’s). We will continue to build upon the progress made thus far, and set the stage for a successful 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Istanbul Process in China. I wish to thank our dear and close friend, the Peoples Republic of China for their generosity in hosting the Ministerial in 2014. Excellencies, Please allow me to take this opportunity to welcome Ambassador Mellbin as the new EU special representative for Afghanistan. I look forward to working with you towards finalizing Afghanistan-EU partnership agreement. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am looking forward to productive discussions in our meeting today. Thank you.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 03:38:17 +0000
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