Jean Asselborn Meets with Luxembourg Soldiers, Discusses Peace Process in Afghanistan

Luxembourg Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean Asselborn today visited the Mazar-i-Sharif military base as part of his working visit to Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, who is also Minister of Immigration and Asylum, started his Afghanistan visit by meeting with (and thanking) the two members of the Luxembourg Army currently deployed in Afghanistan at the Mazar-i-Sharif military base. 

The two members of the Luxembourg Army are part of the North Task Force, which is deployed to Mazar-i-Sharif as part of NATO's Resolute Support mission ultimately aimed at enabling the Afghan armed forces to ensure the security of the country. Indeed, Luxembourg has confirmed its support to the NATO trust fund for the Afghan army until 2024. To date, Luxembourg has deployed more than 325 personnel in Afghanistan in the field of NATO military missions. 

Later in the day, Minister Asselborn was received in Kabul by the President of the Republic, Ashraf Ghani, after meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani during a working lunch. Discussions with President Ghani focused on the peace process and the role of regional and international actors in resolving the 18-year-old conflict. The exchanges also highlighted the key role and expectations of Afghan women in the process of strengthening the rule of law and access to justice.

The Afghan President stressed that peace cannot be imposed from outside, but must be negotiated from within the country. In this regard he recalled the proposal of the European Union to support the peace process on the basis of the five proposals made at the Geneva Conference in November 2018. The President also referred to the presidential elections scheduled for 20 July 2019, calling for increased investments to consolidate the country's economic development.

Discussions between the Luxembourg and Afghan Foreign Ministers reflected on the latest developments in Afghanistan, regional news and the security situation that has deteriorated in recent years. In this context, the diplomats focused on the influence of regional actors and their support to the Taliban and other armed groups. On the issue of migration, Minister Rabbani recalled that Afghanistan has more than six million refugees, including those coming from Pakistan and Iran, but also in the Middle East and Europe. In this context, the ministers discussed the challenge for Afghanistan of reintegrating the millions of Afghans who have returned in recent years and those who will return after the end of the conflict.

Jean Asselborn also discussed with his interlocutors ways to strengthen bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Luxembourg, particularly at the economic level. In this regard, he referred to the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) that Afghanistan joined in 2017 and in particular the annual meeting of the AIIB that Luxembourg will host in July 2019. It was also agreed to re-launch efforts to conclude a bilateral agreement on air services.

In Kabul, Minister Asselborn also had an interview with Sir Nicholas Kay, the newly appointed NATO civilian representative. This meeting provided an overview of political and security developments in the light of NATO and Allied action in Afghanistan.