BAKU – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Friday that the Kabul administration was ready to hold government-to-government talks with Islamabad as the war on terror was not just an Afghan or regional problem.
Addressing the seventh Ministerial Conference of Hearth of Asia (HoA) in Azerbaijan, Ghani expressed that his country was ready to expand cooperation with all countries, stressing the need for regional connectivity and cooperation in trade besides tackling terrorism.
‘We ask for full regional cooperation to establish mechanisms of verification and coordination for the elimination of this threat [terrorism]’ he said.
The Afghan head declared that the fifth wave of political violence and terrorism was a threat to humanity and it was posing a threat to the globe, let along Afghanistan or the region.
Highlighting the achievements of Afghan forces in counter-terrorism operations and its campaign against drugs, Ghani claimed that in a series of operations by special forces and commandos, his administration had destroyed assets estimated at $50-70 million.
‘These operations will not only continue but will become an integral part of our four-year comprehensive security plan.’ he vowed.
The president continued that the militant Islamic State (IS) had been defeated in the country.
‘Daesh (IS) is isolated from external support. They are running out of weapons, supplies, and fighters – what’s left of Daesh is stuck in the mountains to starve and die,’ he claimed.
Revealing his future plans for the country, he said the government will increase the number of Afghan Special Forces and the Air Force.
‘I am doubling the size of my Special Security Forces and tripling the size of the Air Force to defeat the terrorists and further secure the population,’ he said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif is also attending the moot and he would also be highlighting Pakistan’s role in the fight against terrorism during the session.
Heart of Asia Conference
The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HoA) was founded on November 2nd, 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey and it provides a platform for sincere and result-oriented regional cooperation to solve the Afghanistan crisis.
The forum was established to address the shared challenges and interests of Afghanistan and its neighbours and regional partners. HoA is comprised of 14 participating countries, 17 supporting countries, and 12 supporting regional and international organizations.
