Brussels, 20/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 19 April, the spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini deplored the attack on the Afghan capital earlier in the day, which was claimed by the Taliban. This “demonstrates the fragility of the current situation in Afghanistan”, the spokesperson said. The suicide attack with a car bomb, followed by gunfire between the police and insurgents, claimed at least 64 lives and left over 340 injured.
This attack, like the others that have affected the country in recent days and weeks, in Kabul and in several provinces, “reminds us once again of the need to work with energy, determination and dedication, and in partnership with the Afghan leadership, to achieve sustainable security and stability for the Afghan people”, Mogherini's spokesperson said in a press release. The spokesperson added that the conference on Afghanistan that will take place in Brussels on 4-5 October will be “a vital and complementary step” in meeting this commitment of the EU to Afghanistan and the Afghan people to provide substantial aid to the state building and development efforts, as well as to the security sector.
Saying that peace and reconciliation in the country was “of the utmost importance”, Mogherini's spokesperson reiterated the EU's support for Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani to reach out to all the national and regional stakeholders for the launch of a significant peace process. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)