Participants at the Regional Security Summit on Afghanistan, which was hosted in Dushanbe, Tajikistan issued a joint statement calling for the formation of an inclusive government, respect for human rights, and a fight against terrorist groups and narcotics in Afghanistan.
National security advisers or their representatives from eight countries who attended the meeting expressed concerns over the current situation in Afghanistan.
“Participants in the meeting expressed the concerns of the countries in the region regarding the current situation in Afghanistan and stressed that they should not interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan. These countries expressed hope that the internal political, economic and social situation in Afghanistan would improve. They also emphasized the role of all ethnic groups in the Afghan government,” the statement reads.
The meeting focused on the need to form an inclusive government to represent all sections of the society and it discussed international cooperation to provide humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.
The statement added that Afghanistan should not become a safe haven for terrorists.
“If they (the Islamic Emirate) stick to their verbal commitments, they can make a difference in the situation in Afghanistan. But these countries have different interests and goals in Afghanistan, and in some cases they are even in opposition, so the decisions of these countries remain just verbal commitment,s” said Asadullah Nadim, military affairs analyst.
However, Kabul does not accept the stated security concerns of these countries about Afghanistan and once again pledged that Afghanistan’s soil will not be used against any country.
“Concerns are expressed over the situation in the country, and we do not want our country to be an arena for competition between countries, and we do not allow any movement in our country to pose a threat to other countries from our soil,” said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate.
The two-day meeting was attended by national security advisors or secretaries from at least eight regional countries including Russia, India, Iran, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The advisor to the National Security Council of India said at the meeting that his country is one of the important partners of Afghanistan and stressed that no issue can change India’s relations with the Afghan people.