Language

Don't you have an account with Pajhwok Afghan News?

Click here to subscribe.

Our commitment to Doha talks remains firm: Ghani

Our commitment to Doha talks remains firm: Ghani

author avatar
24 Nov 2020 - 17:28
Our commitment to Doha talks remains firm: Ghani
author avatar
24 Nov 2020 - 17:28

KABUL (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday said despite suffering, his government’s commitment to negotiations with the Taliban remained firm.

The Taliban and Afghan government have been engaged in peace talks in Qatar since September 12 but no progress has been announced so far.

“Our negotiating team remains steadfast in their commitment to talks in Doha. We must bring an end to the violence that is haunting our lives and robbing our children of the joys of childhood,” Ghani told participants of a global donor conference in Geneva from Kabul.

But the Afghan leader said violence had “skyrocketed” since a US-Taliban deal in February paved the way for the withdrawal of foreign forces by May 2021.

“Plans to achieve peace did not materialise as imagined. Suffering and killing continues to plague Afghans on a daily basis. It is unbearable,” he said.

In his virtual address to the conference, the president urged the international community to continue supporting Afghanistan even as he acknowledged that donors are likely to cut aid under the strain of Covid-19.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown us all into a state of global uncertainty,” Ghani said, adding they were exceptionally grateful that at a time of such collective suffering, the international community’s commitment to Afghanistan remained strong.

“We ask our international partners to help us do more with less… Financial resources, aid, will continue to be critical to our growth for the foreseeable future.”

Donor nations meet every four years to pledge aid to Afghanistan, which is almost entirely reliant on foreign assistance despite years of promised reforms and attempts to grow the economy.

But the 2020 donor conference could see less aid pledged as countries battle to recover from the devastating impact of Covid-19. The previous 2016 conference in Brussels raised $15.2 billion.

ma

Visits: 1

Related Topics

GET IN TOUCH

SUGGEST A STORY

Pajhwok is interested in your story suggestions. Please tell us your thoughts by clicking here.

PAJHWOK MOBILE APP

Download our mobile application to get the latest updates on your mobile phone. Read more