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Kabul: In his address to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in India on Friday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari urged the international community to “meaningfully engage” with the interim Afghan government.
Zardari said that Afghanistan’s situation brings challenges as well as new opportunities. We also call on the international community to meaningfully engage with the interim government of Afghanistan to better understand and influence the course of events.
“After being the playground for great powers, time and time again, we owe it to the people of Afghanistan to not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he said, adding that “A united international community must continue to urge the Afghan authorities to adopt universally accepted principles of political inclusivity, and respecting the rights of all Afghans, including girls’ right to education.”
Stating that Pakistan is the first country that will bear the consequences of insecurity in Afghanistan, Zardari asked the Afghan ruling body to adhere to their commitments of not allowing Afghanistan’s soil to be used for terrorist activities.
Stating that the international community should work to address security concerns, he added: A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is not only the key to regional integration and economic cooperation, but also to global peace and stability. We believe that the SCO-Afghanistan contact group can play a role in coordinating practical cooperation with Afghanistan.
