Afghanistan reiterates commitment to achieving 'long-lasting peace'

Afghanistan has recently reaffirmed its commitment to long-lasting peace in the country with regards to the ongoing Intra-Afghan peace talks with the Taliban. The Intra-Afghan peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban finally began last month and are taking place in Qatar’s capital Doha since the Taliban have a political office there.

Afghan government reaffirms commitment to peace

Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, the chief negotiator of the Afghanistan government delegation to the reconciliation talks in a tweet on Friday, October 9 stated: “We hope the peace talks in light of the Quran and Sunnah will have the desired results according to the wishes of people. We appreciate Afghans' patience for peace and an end to the war. No one can stand against Afghans' desires for peace. We are committed to achieving lasting peace”.

The peace talks between the two conflicting factions were finally made possible due to a deal between the Taliban and the US back at the start of the year. The US had agreed to remove its troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban had agreed to enter into prisoner exchanges with the Afghan government after which the peace talks began. Subsequently, the peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government were delayed since the Afghan government was hesitant in releasing the last batch of Taliban prisoners as they were deemed too dangerous.

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After debates and discussions, the last batch of Taliban prisoners were released and the peace talks could finally commence. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was present at the opening ceremony of the talks in Doha, stated that the talks presented a historic opportunity to end the decades-long conflict in Afghanistan.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who also made several remarks during the opening ceremony of the peace talks recently met with Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation on Friday, October 9 and expressed India's commitment and cooperation to peace, prosperity and stability in Afghanistan.

(With ANI Inputs, Image: AP)

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