Huangshan, 31 March 2022: A joint statement was given at the 3rd Foreign Ministers’ Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan that was held in Tunxi, Anhui Province in China. The meeting took place on 31 March 2022.
Foreign Ministers or senior representatives of Pakistan, Russia, China, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, attended the meeting. The President of China, Xi Jinping also sent a congratulatory message to the meeting.
Likewise, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres also delivered remarks through video link. The parties held comprehensive, in-depth, and productive dialogues on the circumstances in Afghanistan and on collaboration regarding Afghanistan.
In a direct and practical environment of mutual understanding, the participants gave a joint statement that included the political and diplomatic fields, economic and humanitarian fields, counter-terrorism and security, refugees, and institution building.
Political and diplomatic domains
The joint statement reiterated respect for the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of Afghanistan along with support for the Afghan people to independently decide the future of their country.
The participants also announced support for the basic principle of “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned”. They insisted the states responsible for the existing quandary in Afghanistan fulfill promises regarding the economic recovery and future growth of Afghanistan.
Along these lines, the statement emphasized peace, stability, and prosperity in Afghanistan for the common interests of regional countries and Afghanistan, along with expressing willingness to jointly play a productive role.
In the political arena, the statement noted the significance to attain national reconciliation in Afghanistan via dialogue and negotiation, along with establishing a broad-based and inclusive political system.
In the same vein, the statement urges to embrace reasonable and sound domestic and foreign approaches, develop friendly ties with all countries, particularly its neighbors, and stressed the need for all sides to boost dialogue and communication with Afghanistan.
It also stated the significance of adopting essential steps in Afghanistan to ensure women’s rights and children’s education, along with calling for further actions to be taken for the improvement of people’s livelihood.
Moreover, further actions must be taken to safeguard the fundamental rights of all Afghans, including ethnic groups, women, and children. The participants opposed all attempts at politicizing humanitarian assistance.
In this context, they reiterated respect and support for the prominent role of Afghanistan in disseminating and utilizing humanitarian assistance to be generated by the global community and global organizations to Afghans.
Economic and humanitarian fields
With respect to economic and humanitarian domains, the joint statement expressed profound concern over the humanitarian crisis, economic and livelihood dilemma in the country and declared to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan.
It further, communicated gratitude and support for the critical role of the UN in supplying humanitarian aid to Afghanistan along with calling on the global community, specifically the UN agencies to step up emergency humanitarian help to the Afghans.
About the issue of the spread of COVID-19 and deficits of medicine and medical equipment, the statement communicated readiness to assist Afghanistan to enhance health care and COVID-19 containment capability.
In addition, it expressed support for Afghanistan’s endeavors toward self-generated growth and committed to supporting the economic resuscitation of Afghanistan at both bilateral and multilateral levels.
Along these lines, the ports will be further opened up to strengthen exchanges and collaboration with Afghanistan in fields like energy, agriculture, trade and economy, finance, connectivity, and infrastructure, to help build capacity for self-generated growth.
The joint statement also reaffirmed its commitment to boost collaboration within frameworks like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as well as regional cooperation organizations.
This will help to include Afghanistan in the regional connectivity, energy, and transport grids, economic and trade systems, so as to help it exploit its geographical advantages and economic prospects.
Counter-terrorism and security
Furthermore, the statement by the participants at the third meeting of the Neighboring Countries’ Format also noted pledges and commitments made by Afghanistan to the global community.
Afghanistan pledged that its territory will not pose any threats to the adjacent countries and no place will be provided to terrorist groups. Along these lines, it also stressed terrorism as a fundamental element impacting stability in Afghanistan.
The statement denounced violence and terrorist attacks, along with reiterating that ISIS, ETIM, Jondollah, Jaish-Al-Adl, TTP, Al-Qaeda, Jamaat Ansarullah, BLA, IMU, and other terrorist outfits must not be provided any place in Afghanistan.
Relevant Afghan stakeholders must take tangible steps to make a clean break with all terrorist forces, firmly fight and eliminate them by disassembling their training centers, and scrutinize the free movement of all terrorist organizations.
This should be done to guarantee that Afghanistan would never again serve as a hotbed for the proliferation of terrorism. Relevant Afghan parties ought to protect the safety and legitimate rights as well as the interests of foreign nationals and institutions in Afghanistan.
Aside from the above, the joint statement reaffirmed willingness to boost counter-terrorism and security collaboration among bordering countries. A united front will be built against terrorism.
In this context, the statement mentioned the initiative of Tajikistan on a “security belt” around Afghanistan. This includes tightening border control, deterring terrorists from escaping across borders, and staying committed to protecting regional security & stability.
The Foreign Ministers of the participant countries further expressed willingness to conduct counter-terrorism and security partnerships with Afghanistan to help it make its counter-terrorism capacity.
They encouraged relevant Afghan groups to take substantial actions against the cultivation, production, and illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs in order to crackdown on organized crime to free Afghanistan from the plague of drugs.
Likewise, readiness to scale up collaborative efforts to fight cross-border drug-related crime and safeguard people’s health and social stability was also reaffirmed.
Refugees
On the issues of refugees, the joint statement expresses concern over the circumstances of the Afghan refugee and internally displaced people as well as support for UN agencies to play an active role.
Appreciation of the efforts made by the regional countries, especially Pakistan and Iran, on the subject of Afghan refugees was also expressed.
The participants called on the global community to provide those countries with constant, adequate, and commensurate financial support.
Institution building
Lastly, the joint statement announced the launch of a mechanism for periodic consultations among special emissaries (special representatives) for Afghanistan of the neighboring countries.
Three working groups; economic and humanitarian, political and diplomatic, security and stability, were also announced to follow up on the results of the Foreign Ministers’ meetings among the bordering states of Afghanistan.
The statement also expressed appreciation and gratefulness to China for hosting the 3rd Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the high organizational level. It also supported Uzbekistan to convene the 4th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the first quarter of 2023 in Tashkent.
