Moscow: A multi-nation conference held here on Afghanistan and attended by India has raised voice for ensuring fundamental rights to all, including minorities, women and children.
The 4th meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations also pitched for ensuring equal access to justice and education to all in Afghanistan, where the Taliban rulers have been preventing girls from going to school ever since they seized power in August last year.
The conference, held yesterday and hosted by Russia, was attended by special representatives and senior officials of India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
“The participants of the meeting discussed the current situation in Afghanistan with an emphasis on regional security, military-political stability, socio-economic and humanitarian issues,” said a Joint Statement issued after the conference.
The participating nations “reiterated their commitment to a peaceful, unified, sovereign, independent and economically developing Afghanistan, free from the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking”, it said.
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“Afghanistan was requested to fulfil its commitments to eradicate terrorism and drug trafficking emanating from its territory, take more visible steps against all terrorist organizations, and to firmly fight, dismantle and eliminate them, so as to ensure that Afghanistan would never again serve as a breeding ground, safe haven or source of proliferation for terrorism,” it said.
The participating countries “reaffirmed their readiness to assist Afghanistan in this regard.”
The importance of forming a truly inclusive government in Afghanistan, reflecting the interests of all major ethno-political groups of the country, was emphasized.
The importance of practical engagement with Afghanistan in this regard was also highlighted.
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The sides also expressed their support for the fundamental rights of all ethnic groups, including minorities, women and children, providing equal access to justice and education respectively, the Joint Statement said.
All sides stressed upon the need to intensify efforts for the provision of humanitarian and economic assistance to the Afghan people in the post-conflict reconstruction of the country.
The strengthening of Afghan authorities’ efforts to ensure the basic rights and freedoms of the population were noted as important.
