Up to Afghans to decide their future: Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo

Newswire

Kabul: Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo, NATO’s senior civilian representative in Afghanistan believes it is up to Afghans to decide their future.
“Afghans will be secure if they are responsible for their security. NATO through the Resolute Support will continue supporting Afghanistan including providing financial assistants until 2024,” he said at a webinar of the Institute of War and Peace Studies (IWPS).

Previously, Ambassador Pontecorvo said Pakistan will benefit much from Afghan peace process as the rest of the regional states. “Pakistan has been recognized… actually by American negotiators that they have played a helpful role,” he had said.
Ambassador Pontecorvo said a stable Afghanistan would be beneficial for the whole of South Asia. He mainly pointed towards the major infrastructural projects that would benefit the region, passing through Afghanistan, including TAPI gas pipeline and the CASA-1000 electricity project.

This comes as efforts are underway to launch intra-Afghan talks in a bid to find a negotiated political settlement to end the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.
Washington signed a peace deal with Taliban group late in February in a bid to pave the way for further advancement of peace efforts in the country. However, there are concerns that the recent wave of violence could impede the peace process.