In a tweet on Sat., EU Foreign Policy Chief Borrell wrote, “Lasting peace and stability in #Afghanistan is a common goal and responsibility for the region and beyond. In my meeting with President @ashrafghani today, we agreed on the need for concerted action. EU stands firmly in favour of an inclusive, Afghan owned peace process.”
After the meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani which was held in Tashkent on the sidelines of a conference dubbed “Central and South Asia: Regional Challenges and Opportunities”, Borrell said, “A peaceful Afghanistan is vital to the stability and development of the entire region, but today we are witnessing a different reality and we are deeply concerned about the continuing violence by Taliban, the sharp rise in civilian casualties and growing number of Afghans who feel compelled to leave.”
The chaos in Afghanistan is fueling the spread of drug trafficking and also spread of extremist ideas, terrorism and violence in the region, and finally, this grave situation can endanger security in Europe, he emphasized.
The European Union supports a comprehensive Afghan peace process that will lead to a negotiated political settlement but Taliban need to show that they are truly committed to a negotiated solution, EU Foreign Policy Chief Borrell added.
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