EU HRVP statement "Heart of Asia/ Process" 8th Ministerial Meeting , , 9 December 2019

President Ashraf Ghani, President Erdogan, Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues,

I have the honour of speaking on behalf of the EU High Representative / Vice President Mr Josep Borrell.

We sincerely thank the Republic of Turkey for hosting this 8th Heart of Asia/Istanbul Process Ministerial meeting and the Islamic Republic of for its continued efforts to advance the process.

The evolution of the political context brings positive impetus for the Heart of Asia/Istanbul process, and the other way around. And those important confidence building measures can act as strong incentives and peace dividends.

We commend the Afghan government and Turkey for their continued efforts to promote and sustain these confidence building measures. Despite challenges related to security and bankability, we have seen progress in the rail connections between Afghanistan, and ; and advances in expanding regional energy' and trade corridors.

In the same vein and as one of the main development partners the has promoted Afghanistan's regional economic integration. Since the 2016 Brussels conference, the EU has supported over EUR 500 million worth of projects connecting Afghanistan and Central Asia. Sustainable connectivity towards Afghanistan has been included in the new "EU-Central Asia Strategy". Likewise, regional cooperation with Afghanistan is a very important component of the new "EU-Asia Connectivity Strategy".

The European Union has also supported efforts of the process in this regard: security in Afghanistan has been on the agenda of our regional high level dialogues on counter terrorism. Targeted EU initiatives to counter radicalisation in Central Asia and in accompany this dialogue. We are looking forward to more cooperation with the partners of the Heart of Asia/Istanbul process in this regard.

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Sustainable socio-economic development and efficient job creation schemes will determine the success of all other Heart of Asia measures, notably in the context of an Afghan peace process.

Afghanistan continues to be high on the political agenda of the European Union. The European Union once again reaffirmed its commitment to the Afghan peace process, noting, in particular, the need for an early resumption of talks between the U.S. and the Taliban as a step towards the launch of a genuine intra-Afghan peace process. The EU Foreign Ministers also emphasized the necessity of the immediate start of direct talks between the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban. And they requested a ceasefire to accompany the start of intra-Afghan negotiations, a position also acknowledged by the US President. We thank President Ghani for the value he attaches to the political role of the European Union at all stages of the peace process.

The European Union is indeed a long-term friend and ally of Afghanistan. The European Union is committed to stay with Afghan citizens through good and bad times. It will help help Afghanistan to become a self-reliant, democratic and developed country that respects the rights of all of its citizens, women and men, children, people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. The EU stands ready to contribute, both politically and financially, to the future of Afghanistan and to the implementation of a peace settlement that embodies these values.

Finally, let me commend the courage and resilience of all Afghans who participated and supported the Presidential elections this year. Afghans have showed an example of courage to the world. These elections have proven once again the commitment of the Afghan people to furthering the democratic path of their country, even if this meant, for many, putting their lives at risk.

The European Union looks forward to continuing to work with the Heart of Asia / Istanbul Process as one of the key vehicles for the future reconstruction of Afghanistan and the peace-building in a longer term perspective.

Thank you very much.

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