Salam Rahimi, the Minister of State for Peace Affairs and a close associate of President Ashraf Ghani, said on Friday night that the intra-Afghan talks will start and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah will take the responsibility of the Reconciliation Council.
“The council will move on to the next consultation after Dr. Abdullah is involved in the process and takes responsibility, he said.
However, Abdullah Abdullah’s spokesman, Fereydoun Khozun, said that no agreement had been reached between Abdullah and Ghani so far.
While Rahimi talks about the formation of a Reconciliation Council led by Dr. Abdullah, that almost a month and 10 days passed since the inauguration of the two presidents in Kabul, but the two sides are still divided after numerous talks.
Based on sources, the final version of proposed plan of the stability and partnership team led by Dr. Abdullah, who considers himself the President of an Inclusive government, has not yet been presented to President Ghani.
Crisis in Afghanistan
The political crisis during this period has had serious consequences for the lives of the people and the governance process in Afghanistan. As US aid to the Afghan government declines, the Afghan government has threatened to withdraw its troops altogether, deepening the security crisis. In addition, EU officials expressed frustration with the situation in Kabul, saying in a statement: “Every day that passes without a single state team exposes the Afghan people to more dangers. It undermines the credibility of democratic institutions and discourages European partners.”
Despite all these problems and the political crisis in Kabul, the emergency situation of the spread of the Corona virus in various provinces, including Herat and Kabul, seems to be more serious. In addition to the deaths of citizens with the virus, there are movement restrictions as well as quarantine, which puts more pressure on the lives of ordinary and poor people whose daily routine is dependent on daily wages.
Any work, business and daily activities in the market have been disrupted. However, insecurity and political crisis remain, and both sides of the crisis continue to emphasize their personal aspirations and those of their political team.
The Russians Protest
As the citizens of Afghanistan are dissatisfied with this political situation inside the country, the process of governance, and most importantly the government’s approach to the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry tweeted on Friday that the United States is working to prevent obstacles of intra-Afghan direct talks. However, by recognizing one of the presidential candidates as the winner, the United States is playing a role in exacerbating the current political situation in Kabul.
Russia’s foreign ministry is taking a stand against the ongoing political crisis in Kabul, while its powerful country in the region has so far not recognized any of the parties to the current political crisis as the country’s president. However, the current political situation is becoming more complex and critical over time. Russia has so far been seemingly neutral in many of Afghanistan’s political affairs, but it seems that the patience of this friend / old enemy of Afghanistan is over.
Zackaria Noori contributed reporting.
