US committed to enduring partnership with Afghanistan — Pompeo

Geneva, Nov 25 (IANS): US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an address to Geneva Conference said that the United States remains committed to its own enduring partnership with Afghanistan, and to helping the Afghan peace negotiations be successful.

“The start of the Afghan Peace Negotiations in Doha has opened a new and unprecedented opportunity set for peace and prosperity,” Pompeo said on Tuesday. “So too must all our all countries and organisations help to maintain and advance gains achieved since 2001.”

He said that those gains include Afghanistan’s adherence to the rule of law; respect for its international obligations; and inclusive, transparent, and accountable governance. “We must also emphasize the importance of respect for the rights of all Afghans, including women, youth, and minority groups,” Pompeo said, TOLO news reported on Wednesday.

He added that the Afghan government must also do its part to implement essential elements of stability and security, just as the Afghan people expect.

“I’m talking about things like economic reforms; real anti-corruption efforts, including our drug interdiction; respect for human rights, including religious freedom; a welcome environment for the private sector; and steps toward self-reliance,” he said.

Pompeo said that the US is looking to its international partners, especially Afghanistan’s neighbours and others in the region, to help that country toward a more peaceful, secure, and sustainable future.

On Tuesday, the international community at Afghanistan Conference 2020 in Geneva renewed their financial and political commitment to Afghanistan for another four years.

The 2020 Afghanistan Conference is the last pledging conference of the Transformation Decade (2015-24), which aims to take the country towards self-reliance, and is expected to renew the international community and Afghan commitments to the development and stability of Afghanistan up to 2024.

At least 100 countries and international organisations participate in the two-day conference.

Although, an exact amount of money pledged by the donors is not clear so far, but the Afghan government expects that the world pledge $4 billion in aid to Afghanistan per year as part of their financial assistance for civilian purposes.

Although, some countries did not mention the level of their assistance to the country, but the European Union (EU) and countries like Japan, UK, Canada, Holland, Australian, Turkey, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Italy, and France announce their aid to Afghanistan for one, three- and four-year period.