Afghanistan Peace CampaignHe also said that regional security remains of grave importance for the Islamic Emirate.
Speaking at the summit, acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who was also chairing the event, said that the regional cooperation could be focused on exploring region-centric and engagement pathways based on common regional benefits; creating a region-centric narrative for positive and constructive engagement with the “Afghan government” to tackle existing and potential threats in the region; exerting efforts directed at soft connectivity and hard connectivity that would lead to regional economic development benefitting peoples of the region; unanimity in calling for the removal of unilateral sanctions on the region and on Afghanistan in particular and respecting one another’s choices of indigenous and traditional development models and governance methods.
He also said that the Islamic Emirate had good engagements in the fields of trade development and regional transit with regional and neighboring countries over the past two years.
“On the one hand, with the end of the 20-year occupation and the overall 45-year war and bloodshed in Afghanistan, and the formation of an independent central government, and on the other hand, the Islamic Emirate’s region-centric perspective considering the principle of economy-centered foreign policy of the Afghan government, reliant on regional connectivity, has paved the way for us to work together on common interests in cooperation with the region by creating a region-centric narrative and continued fight against potential threats,” Muttaqi said.
He also said that regional security remains of grave importance for the Islamic Emirate.
Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate stands ready to engage and cooperate with the regional countries by working together based on mutual interest and mutual respect.
“The Islamic Emirate… respects others’ interests, choices, government structures, and development models, and in return, expects others to respect Afghanistan’s interests, and governance and development choices and models,” he said.
A photo of the summit of “Afghanistan’s Regional Cooperation Initiative” released by the deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, shows that the Russian special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, Iranian ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi and other regional envoys have attended the event.
The summit is being held weeks before a high-level conference which is due to be convened by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.