DCM Haidari Chairs Seminar Session on Post-2014 Challenges Facing Afghanistan

New Delhi: - Deputy Chief of Mission M. Ashraf Haidari chaired a session on “Afghanistan’s Internal Dynamics 2014-2016: Political, Economic and Security Challenges” in a seminar on “Afghanistan and Central Asia 2015,” jointly hosted by the United Service of India (USI) and the U.S. National Defense University Near East and South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA) on September 11, 2014. The two-day seminar brought together participants from South Asia and Central Asia, including Afghanistan, who discussed the implications of withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan and how the countries of the region could and should cooperate with each other and with Afghanistan in order to stabilize the country in the post 2014 period.

Mr. Haidari pointed out that the electoral contestation had been coming to a successful end, following a number of agreements between the two leading candidates to form a national unity government. On the short run, he noted that the settlement of the new government and its effectively beginning to function would be a challenge, which Afghanistan’s capable leaders would resolve soon. Economically, however, he noted the adverse impact of foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan on the country’s economy, whose growth has so far been reliant on international aid. And he added that security and economic challenges facing Afghanistan in the post-2014 were interrelated, which could only be addressed through continued international support and sincere regional cooperation.

Moreover, Mr. Haidari drew the attention of the participants to the fact that many of Afghanistan’s problems had regional and transnational roots. Therefore, he noted that it was in the best, long-term interest of every country in the region and the NATO alliance to continue supporting the consolidation of Afghanistan’s achievements over the 13 years. He added that Afghanistan was committed to signing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the United States, as well as a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with NATO. Both documents were recently signed, following the inauguration of Afghanistan’s new President, Dr. Ashraf Ghani, and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Abdullah.