Foreign Minister Spanta in New York for the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta has arrived in New York to attend the 64th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. During the five-day visit, Foreign Minister Spanta will address the General Assembly on the situation in Afghanistan, the region and related global issues.
On the first day of his official visit, Foreign Minister addressed the Ministerial Meeting of the “Groups of Friends of Afghanistan.” The meeting was also attended by US Secretary of State; the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Australia, Japan, Netherlands, Denmark; the special representative of the UN Secretary General for Afghanistan and the special envoys of numerous countries for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Ministerial “Group of Friends Meeting” focused on the situation in Afghanistan, particularly the recent Afghan elections. Addressing the meeting, Foreign Minister Spanta underscored the importance of the recent elections as “it marked an important step in Afghanistan’s democratization” and that “despite a challenging security situation, millions of Afghans went to the polls to cast their vote and determine their political destiny.”
Additionally, Foreign Minister Spanta highlighted the need for the international community’s long-term commitment in Afghanistan for defeating terrorism and achieving the common goals of peace, justice and prosperity. He also said that the new Afghan government would be committed to meet the needs of the Afghan people with the strong support of the international community.
In his remarks at the meeting, the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Afghanistan, Mr. Kai Eide, briefed participants on the Afghan elections and noted that the announcement of the final results would be based on the joint assessment of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC). He also stressed the need for both commissions to conclude their work without any unnecessary delay.
Also attending the meeting was Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Dr. Zahir Tanin.
In the same day Foreign Minister also met with his Japanese, Indian and Dutch counterparts. In the meetings, Foreign Minister Spanta expressed his appreciation for the support and assistance of the aforementioned countries to Afghanistan’s democratization and stabilization.
The Foreign Ministers of Japan, India and the Netherlands reiterated their governments’ continued commitment to Afghanistan in the coming years.
Later this evening Foreign Minister Spanta will meet with UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon.
Office of the Spokesperson
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
