Afghanistan's neighbours key to solving problems in the country: Italian PM
Oct 12, 2021
Rome [Italy], October 13 : After the conclusion of the Group of 20 (G20) summit on Tuesday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said that neighbouring countries should be involved in solving problems in Afghanistan.
"The involvement of neighboring countries is necessary (to solve the issues in the country). This is the issue that Russia has also raised," Draghi said at a press conference in Rome, as quoted by Sputnik.
This comes amid the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban's takeover in August and the subsequent formation of the interim government.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised to spend 1 billion euros in aid for the country.
Speaking following the G20 summit, the Italian PM said that participants in the G20 summit gave the UN a mandate to coordinate and act directly in Afghanistan.
"There was agreement, a high willingness to act and coincidence of views ... In fact, this was translated into a general mandate for the United Nations to coordinate responses and direct action," he said.
The G20 leaders agree that the situation in the humanitarian sphere developing in Afghanistan was the most difficult, Draghi said.
"First of all, there is a general understanding that the situation in the humanitarian sphere in Afghanistan is developing the most difficult. Various representatives of international organizations spoke about a humanitarian catastrophe, and with the approach of winter, the situation is only getting worse," he said.
Italy was the host of the meeting as the holder of the rotating G20 presidency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also participated at the summit, said that the world must prevent Afghan territory from becoming the source of radicalisation, and terrorism.
In a virtual G20 Extraordinary Summit on Afghanistan, PM Modi also called for urgent and unhindered humanitarian assistance to Afghan citizens and an inclusive administration.
