The EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday 19 November supported the Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan to be held on 27 and 28 November 2018.
This conference will be "an important opportunity to take stock of the progress of the reforms agreed since the 2016 Brussels conference and to establish a forward-looking agenda for peace, stability and sustainable development", he stressed in his conclusions.
The Ministers therefore reiterate the need to promote peace, stability and security. "The EU supports an inclusive peace process led and led by Afghanistan, in which the government and the Taliban occupy a central place, which it considers to be the only viable way to achieve a lasting settlement of the armed conflict", they say. They call for an end to the violence and condemn in particular those that marred the October parliamentary elections (see EUROPE 12123). Thus, the Council urges all parties to the conflict to enter into formal peace negotiations and recalls their responsibility to protect civilians.
All neighbouring countries and regional actors must support the Afghan government's efforts to promote peace and stability and redouble their efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism, the ministers urged.
The Council also returns to human rights. Despite the efforts made, "serious problems remain in [the] area [...] and further efforts are needed to ensure that they are fully respected", ministers stress.
"Reforms in the areas of the rule of law, justice and anti-corruption are crucial", warns the Council, calling more generally on Kabul to continue implementing the reform agenda.
Measures to ensure the security, transparency, legitimacy and credibility of the elections are urgent in the run-up to the 2019 presidential election, in which "the EU expects political parties and relevant actors [...] to support the democratic process and contribute constructively to political stability", the ministers said.
The Council also emphasises migration, stressing that the effective implementation of the EU-Afghanistan Joint Way Forward and the bilateral agreements with Member States "must continue unabated". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)