Saturday January 2, 2016
Kabul (BNA) President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani during a press conference on Thursday (Dec. 31) stated that in the past year the country’s security forces fought for survival of their homeland, and Afghanistan has survived with the sacrifices of the country’s National Security Forces.
The president went on as saying that the future generation will be owed of their hero’s sacrifices. The president said that with appointment of the chief justice, reforms in judiciary have begun, and the chief justice is committed in reformation of the Afghanistan’s judicial systems. The president asked the reported to closely oversee the reformation process together with the country’s chief justice. Pointing on economic situation, the president said that Afghanistan plays key role in regional cooperation, and the country needs to ago aside from being dependent to foreign country to being a key transit partner among the regional countries. In month of Hamal H.S (March-April) the Turkmenistan railway will be connected to Aqina commercial port the president noted, adding that the Afghan goods will reach Europe markets through Turkey and Azerbaijan and Afghanistan would be directly connected to Kazakhstan.
“Afghanistan has been witnessed serious problems with oil and gas importation, an Oil pipeline will be also connected from Turkmenistan to Aqina port, and a big change would occur in our importations since month of Hamal”, the president added, saying that India’s Prime Minister in his visit to Kabul has pledged to further bolster the works on Chabahar port, where Afghanistan will reach to gulf countries and transits would be further extended. The president also congratulated Ministry of Finance for fulfilling the International Monetary funds’ target of 114 billion Afghanis, and even collected revenue of 120 billion of Afghanis. “The point is not about money, the point is about honesty, we have boosted our revenue in a very difficult gesture of time, where Afghanistan was struggling for its survival”, the president noted, saying that we have taken a step forward toward self-sufficiency.
Answering to a question on peace talks, the president said that the first round of Afghan peace process talks will be held in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad in January of 2016. “The first round of a quadrilateral meeting between senior officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the U.S. that will lay a roadmap for peace negotiations, is set to be held on January 11 in Islamabad. The second round of the meeting will be convened in Kabul afterwards,” President Ghani noted. Answering to another question on Taliban groups, the president said: “It is obvious that there are groups of Taliban, not a unified movement,” President Ghani told reporters in the press conference. “The fundamental issue here is the choice: choose peace or terrorism,” he said. “There will be no tolerance for terrorism.” The first round of face-to-face talks between Taliban and the Afghan government was held in Pakistan in July but the second round was cancelled after news of the death of the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, was revealed. The announcement came four days after President Ghani met with Pakistan’s Army chief General Raheel Sharif in Kabul and the two countries agreed to take action against those armed groups refusing to join the peace process.
