Japanese envoy lauds successful conclusion of 2020 Afghanistan Conference in Geneva

Japanese envoy lauds successful conclusion of 2020 Afghanistan Conference in Geneva

ISLAMABAD, Nov 25 (APP) : Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan MATSUDA Kuninori on Wednesday reiterated his resolve to work with Pakistan on realizing peace and stability in the region.

He made this response while celebrating the successful conclusion of the 2020 Afghanistan Conference held in Geneva, on November 23-24.

The conference was co-hosted by the governments of Afghanistan, Finland and the United Nations, said a news release issued by the embassy.

At the conference, Japanese Foreign Minister MOTEGI Toshimitsu sent a video message to share Japan’s continuous commitment to promote peace, prosperity and
self-reliance of Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister MOTEGI stated, “Japan has actively contributed to reconstruction of Afghanistan, including through hosting pledging conferences on Afghanistan twice and providing assistance amounting to $6.8 billion.”

The minister also stated that Japan would continue to stand with the Afghan government and its people.

“We work on providing assistance from 2021 to 2024, maintaining the amount comparable to the past four years, which was $180 million per year. Moreover, with progress in the peace process, we are ready to consider additional support”, the minister said.

Ambassador MATSUDA underlined the importance of the ongoing Afghanistan peace negotiations and the critical role of Pakistan.

“Japan welcomes the Afghanistan peace negotiations and strongly hopes that they will lead to peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region,” he remarked.

He said Japan highly appreciated the significant effort by the Government of Pakistan to facilitate Afghan peace process.

“I look forward to continuing working with Pakistan to reinforce peace and stability in the region, including through various proceeding projects of counter-terrorism and strengthening border security, and support for the host communities of Afghan refugees
in the northwest region of Pakistan, especially in the fields of health, education, water and sanitation,” the ambassador added.

APP Services