The United Nations, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement with the United States, in which they welcomed the agreement between the United States and the Taliban, as well as the preparation of intra-Afghan negotiations.
“We welcomed the important steps launched by the joint declaration of the United States and the Taliban of February 29, aimed at ending the war and opening the door for intra-Afghan negotiations scheduled for March 10”, – the joint statement said, the text of which was circulated by the US State Department on Monday.
The parties expressed their readiness to help work on a peace agreement and emphasized that this requires comprehensive agreement between the parties in Afghanistan. They welcomed the Taliban’s decision to join the political process and appreciated the one-week reduction in violence before signing the declaration with the United States. The parties also called on the Taliban and other armed groups to take “concrete steps” to prevent terrorists from using the country’s territory. They also called on all Afghans to start discussions on issues such as the exchange of prisoners and the ceasefire.
The UN, the EU, and a number of countries also stated that they continue to intend to support the defense and security forces of Afghanistan.
Earlier at a ceremony in Qatar, the United States and the Taliban signed the first peace agreement in more than 18 years of war, which provides for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in 14 months and the start of an inter-Afghan dialogue in March after a prisoner exchange deal. The United States has pledged to reduce the number of troops in this country to 8.6 thousand. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that the United States is confident that the Taliban leadership is doing everything possible to complete the deal.