LONDON, Sept 13 (APP): The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab while welcoming the peace talks on Afghanistan which started in Doha on September 12
said that this could lead to “real, positive change”.
In a statement issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and The Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that talks started on Saturday could lead to “real, positive change”.
He urged Afghan leaders and the Taliban to seize the opportunity and work towards an inclusive and sustainable peace in the country. The UK Foreign Secretary welcomed the start of Afghan peace talks in Doha which started on Saturday and called for both sides to seize the opportunity to end decades long conflict in Afghanistan.
He added that the UK’s military and diplomatic efforts had been critical in supporting Afghanistan over the past 19 years, as it strived to become more stable and prosperous.
In addition, he said that the UK’s world-leading aid expertise has helped millions of children go to school and provided life-saving food to those in need,the UK government statement said.
According to the statement, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:”Today is a moment that I hope leads to real, positive change in Afghanistan. All sides need to seize this opportunity to work towards an inclusive and sustainable peace”. A comprehensive ceasefire should be agreed quickly for the sake of the Afghan people who have suffered for too long.
The UK, as the third largest troop contributor to the NATO mission, plays a vital role in Afghanistan, most recently supporting the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) with training, mentoring and financial assistance,the statement added. It added that over the last three years the UK has pledged up to £750 million of humanitarian and development support, which had helped more than 6.4 million children attend school, including over 300,000 girls who can now go to primary school through the Girls’
Education Challenge Fund.
The second phase of this programme, which launched last year, was supporting more than 70,000 marginalised girls access primary and secondary education and skills training. The statement further said that the UK had also provided life- saving assistance to hundreds of thousands of people during one of the worst droughts the country ever faced in 2018.
Given over six million people access to electricity over the last 15 years. The statement said that earlier this month the UK Foreign Secretary announced a new aid package to tackle the combined threat of coronavirus and famine in developing countries and protect the poorest people.
Part of this funding will help vulnerable Afghans – who have faced shortages because of conflict, drought and the economic impacts of coronavirus – have enough money to be able to buy food for their families, it said.