OSCE supports Afghan government, peace process

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has supports the Afghan government and its peace process, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Saturday.

In a statement, the ministry said OSCE, its permanent members and Asian partners, in cooperation with the Afghan embassy in Vienna, reviewed the security situation in Afghanistan.

Regional implications of the security environment in Afghanistan were also discussed, with the organization announcing support for a peaceful resolution of the Afghan conflict and preserving achievements of the past two decades.

The statement said Mirwais Nab, deputy foreign minister, spoke about the growing violence by Taliban and the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the group and their far-reaching humanitarian consequences.

He alleged contrary to their commitments, the Taliban had not cut ties with terrorist groups, but continued to kill people indiscriminately, destroying Afghanistan’s infrastructure, and grossly violating the rights of women and citizens, in collusion with regional and international terrorists.

He said the Taliban and allied terrorist groups posed a major threat, not only to Afghanistan, but to the entire region and the world as violent extremism spread.

Mirwais Nab lamented Pakistan’s support to Taliban terrorists, their destructive activities and security consequences.

The deputy minister expected Taliban’s destructive actions would be condemned and that the group would not be allowed any illegal presence in other countries.

Afghan Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Vienna Manizhah Bakhtari also underlined role of the international community in preserving achievements of two decades, especially women’s rights.

OSCE Secretary-General Helga Schmid stressed the organization’s support for Afghanistan and the peace process. The official called for the protection of women’s rights as one of the key issues in the peace process.

The statement added that representatives and ambassadors of Australia, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, the European Union, Germany, Tajikistan, Canada, the US, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation expressed their support for the people of Afghanistan, the preservation of achievements and women’s rights.

They stressed the need for continued peace, ceasefire and immediate cessation of violence and condemned the escalation of Taliban attacks.

hr/mud

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