‘Istanbul conference historical opportunity’
THE HEAD of Afghanistan’s parliament Mir Rahman Rahmani yesterday said the Afghan peace conference in Istanbul is a historical opportunity for the resolution of the conflict.
Speaking at the Parliament, Rahmani said that the conference instilled hope for a possible end to the decadeslong civil war and finding a political solution to the conflict. He added that the Taliban should also not miss this opportunity.
Rahmani noted that it is important to protect political and social gains including the current political system, constitution and freedoms during the conference.
Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a letter to Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani which stated that Turkey would be asked to host a senior-level intra-Afghan peace meeting in the near future to finalize a peace agreement. Following the news, Turkey expressed its readiness to take part in mediation efforts to establish peace in Afghanistan and the region.
Turkey has been contributing to the security of Afghanistan and will keep its presence in the country as long as its Afghan brothers demand it, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said last month, marking the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Blinken said he wanted to see top officials from both the Taliban and the Afghan government in the conference. The meeting, initially scheduled to take place in Istanbul on April 16, was later postponed to April 24 as the Taliban said that the religious militia would not attend a peace conference.