د افغانستان اسﻻمی جمهوری جمهوری اسﻻمی افغانستان د بهرنیو چارو وزارت وزارت امورخارجه Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Ministry of Foreign Affairs STATEMENT BY H.E. JAWED LUDIN DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONTACT GROUP MEETING BERLIN, 14 MAY 2013 Your Excellency Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, Ambassador Michael Koch Excellencies. Ladies and gentlemen, Foreign Minister Westerwelle, thank you very much for Germany’s brilliant organisation of this ICG meeting and the generous hospitality extended to us on the occasion. Thank you also for your strong statement of commitment and friendship, and may I say also for the personal engagement and leadership you have demonstrated in the context of the international community’s crucial partnership with Afghanistan. Ambassador Koch, I wish to thank you for hosting today’s ICG meeting, for leading so effectively this important forum, and for ensuring the continuity of the international community’s engagement as Afghanistan makes its crucial transition in the security, political and economic spheres. On behalf of my colleagues from Afghanistan, I wish to highlight the importance of the present juncture and the timely convening of this ICG meeting. We gather here today at a time when we must, together and in one voice, affirm the gains of the past 12 years of partnership, gains that have come about not only at the cost of money but also at the heavy cost of sacrificed lives, both Afghan and from the various countries represented around this room today. We must also recognise that safeguarding and consolidating those precious gains will require that we continue our partnership and that we continue to address the residual challenges that still lie between a hopeful Afghanistan and a future of peace, prosperity and promise for the Afghan people. You will agree, Ladies and Gentlemen, that Afghanistan today faces moments of reckoning on all of the paths that lead to a future of stability, prosperity and a democratic way of life. Firstly, we are less than eleven months away from the 2014 presidential elections, undoubtedly one of the most decisive events for my country’s future. Secondly, next month, together with our partners from NATO/ISAF countries, we will be ready to mark the long awaited milestone in the security transition, whereby Afghanistan’s security forces will begin assuming responsibility for the whole of Afghanistan, paving the way for the implementation of the fifth and final tranche of the Transition Process. Thirdly, the peace process, another critical piece in the jigsaw of Afghanistan’s quest for stability, remains a high priority but may have to be rethought in light new circumstances at the national and regional levels. Fourthly, on July 3rd we are going to meet at the Senior Official Meeting in Kabul to review and discuss Afghanistan’s economic transition, with a focus on the post-Tokyo framework. The economic dimension of Afghanistan’s transition is an existential reality, which must be addressed in the spirit of urgency and a continued sense of shared responsibility. And last but not least, speaking of the region, an all time critical factor for Afghanistan’s stability and peace, we must take note of the transformational currents at the regional level. And in this context, may I take the opportunity to express the Afghan people’s heartfelt congratulations to our Pakistani friends for the very successful conduct of the May 11 general elections, and to add that no country in the world is more pleased and heartened than Afghanistan that our brothers and sisters in Pakistan have taken an emphatic step towards deepening democracy in their country. On the elections, as you will hear shortly from Mr Amarkhel, the Director of the Independent Electoral Commission Secretariat, we are pleased to have a comprehensive plan of action in place, which foresees the delivery of a credible, free and transparent presidential election on April 5th of 2014. We hope that with the passing of the election law from the Afghan National Assembly and the finalisation of the IEC structure and composition in the very near future, we will have the necessary institutional arrangement in place to oversee the successful conduct of this vital exercise for the future of Afghanistan. The biggest test of the credibility of the elections will be our responsibility to provide a secure environment for all eligible Afghans in all parts of Afghanistan to vote freely in the elections. We Afghans know, as do you in the international community, that there is no alternative to a credible, free and fair election if Afghanistan is to deepen its stability, reaffirm its democratic future and consolidate the gains of the past 12 years. On Transition, we all should take pride today that, in spite of the enormity of the task and unforeseen obstacles on our path, such as the so-called insider attacks, together we have met the extremely demanding timeline of the Lisbon agreement. While a formal review of the third and fourth tranches of the Transition process will be necessary to show the strengths and weaknesses of the ANSF, you will agree with me that our security forces have shown tremendous chivalry and resilience in taking over security responsibility in all corners of Afghanistan. In close collaboration with NATO/ISAF authorities under the able leadership of General Joseph Dunford, we are preparing to mark the transition milestone next month. Eager though we are to take full responsibility for our country’s security sooner rather than later, we are mindful of the challenges that the ANSF will have to face in beating back threats to Afghanistan’s security and providing security for all Afghans in all parts of country. As Afghanistan’s partners and friends, you know by now that the ANSF’s weakness will not be from its morale or its will to fight, but from the shortage of critical enablers that any army needs to fulfill its role. In this context, developing and equipping Afghanistan’s air force and the provision of greater firepower will be a critical priority in the months and years to come. With this in mind, we believe the implementation of the fifth and final tranche of the Transition, must take full account of the ANSF’s requirements in order to consolidate all gains of the Transition. On the peace process, I am pleased to be joined once again at this ICG meeting by His Excellency Minister Masoum Stanekzai, who will brief you on Afghanistan’s unfaltering efforts to achieve lasting peace through a process of dialogue and reconciliation with the Taliban and other militant groups. While a political solution to the violent conflict is the desire of all Afghans, it is not an easy alternative. After years of persistent efforts at national, regional and international levels, we are yet to secure the optimal level of cooperation from Pakistan towards forging a coherent reconciliation process involving direct negotiations between, on the one hand, verifiable representatives of the Taliban and, on the other hand, the High Peace Council which represents the true diversity of views and interests in the present constitutional order in Afghanistan. Speaking of Pakistan, I wish to reiterate the Afghan government’s strong and undiminished desire to maintain brotherly relations with Pakistan, rooted not only in our shared history and culture, but also in the promise of a more secure and prosperous future together. It is a historic fact, however, that our modest expectations of cooperation from Pakistan, particularly in the context of the peace process, have frequently been frustrated. In addition, the recent incidents of violation of the Durand Line and unprovoked firing in the Goshta district have highlighted the need for serious reflection and soul-searching in the Afghan-Pakistan relations. In this context, the successful conclusion of the democratic elections and the formation of a strong democratic government in Pakistan presents a good opportunity for the opening of yet another chapter of dialogue and cooperation between our two countries. Afghanistan is going through a challenging transition itself and wishes for nothing more than a strong, sincere and mutually rewarding cooperation with Pakistan. Beyond the role of Pakistan, we in Afghanistan will continue to actively engage the wider region as we try to promote a vision of peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan, an Afghanistan that is a critical asset for the regional security and economic integration, not a liability or a source of threat as it is so frequently and so unfairly portrayed as. In pursuit of this vision, we will continue to work closely with our near and extended neighbours - bilaterally, trilaterally or multilaterally, through the various regional organisations of which Afghanistan is a part. We will particularly emphasise the importance of the Istanbul Process, as a unique, important regional platform for dialogue and cooperation, to nurture regional cooperation benefiting Afghanistan’s long-term stability and prosperity. I am delighted that the Almaty Ministerial last month was extremely successful, particularly in adopting a wide-ranging agenda of action through six CBM implementation plans. In looking forward to the fourth Istanbul Process ministerial in China next year, I believe the time is ripe for the region to agree on some binding principles and arrangements that will foster result-oriented cooperation to ensure security and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region as whole. Finally, on the economic front, while most indicators point to continued growth and modestly growing prosperity, we remain wary of the effects of economic transition. However, while we will try to minimise these effects, we know that this is a transition we must unavoidably go through. With a view to the future, the importance of the international community’s generous aid will be vital for some years to come and, in this context, we are grateful for the substantial pledges of assistance from the international community at the Tokyo Conference last July to fill the projected fiscal gap in the Afghan national budget through the Decade of Transformation from 2015 to 2024.