Afghanistan's neighbours urged West to reconstruct country: China

Mar 31, 2022

Beijing [China], March 31 : Afghanistan's neighbouring countries have urged the US and the West to take responsibility for the reconstruction of Afghanistan and return the property of the Afghans, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
"[It is necessary] to call on the US and the West to fulfil their primary responsibility for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan and to return to the Afghan people their property as soon as possible," Sputnik news agency quoted the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.
On Thursday, the third ministerial conference of the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan was held in the Tunxi region of China. Foreign ministers from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attended the meeting.
The statement stressed the need to support the United Nations' role in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan and in coordinating assistance to the country.
International financial institutions must actively inject liquidity into Afghanistan in order to support the country's development, the statement added.
"We call on all parties to develop contacts and dialogue with Afghanistan, support the social and economic development of Afghanistan, resist sanctions and pressure, and oppose the politicization of humanitarian aid," the statement noted.
Taliban's rise to Afghanistan in August of last year caused economic disarray and food shortages that have pushed the country to the brink of a humanitarian crisis.
Thousands of Afghans have fled the country fearful of the Taliban, widespread violation of human rights, and the deprivation of women and girls of their freedoms.