Statement of Afghan Associations in Europe Regarding the Peace Negotiations between the Delegation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar
29 September 2020
We, the undersigned Afghan community and cultural associations in various European countries, welcome and support the opening of the intra-Afghan dialogue for a just and sustainable peace in Afghanistan. Furthermore, Afghan refugees play important roles in providing support for hundreds of thousands of children and needy families in Afghanistan and have for years worked to promote national unity and peace in the country. Afghans around the world can also play fundamental roles in supporting an inclusive and durable peace process.
While we maintain hopes that this process brings the violence to an end, like the people in Afghanistan, we also have serious concerns about ongoing violence and the prospects for the restoration of an exclusionary and discriminatory regime in Afghanistan. For these reasons, we highlight the following as integral to sustainable peace in Afghanistan:
- The formal opening of peace talks is a historic opportunity that must immediately lead to the cessation of violence in the country. We call on both sides to the conflict to agree on a comprehensive ceasefire that immediately ends casualties among the civilian population of the country.
- We call on both sides to clearly commit to the preservation of the fundamental rights of the citizens of the country, as enshrined in Chapter II of the constitution. The parties must clearly commit that they are not negotiating over the fundamental human rights of the people of Afghanistan, including freedom of expression, the rights of women, and the rights of ethnic and religious minorities.
- We call on the negotiating teams to commit to transparency, including through regular communication and consultation with the people, especially the victims of war and violence, as one of the fundamental principles of their negotiations.
- We call on both sides to ensure that any changes to the system of government in Afghanistan are based on the wishes of the people of Afghanistan.
- We also call on the United Nations, the United States, and the European Union to reiterate their support for the preservation of democracy and human rights in Afghanistan. These important achievements were made possible as a result of joint endeavors and sacrifices by the people of Afghanistan and the international community. Any agreement that jeopardizes human rights and the rights of women is unlikely to lead to durable peace in Afghanistan.
- We call on the international community to refrain from forcibly deporting Afghan asylum seekers and refugees due to the intensity of violence in Afghanistan and the uncertainty of the peace process in the country.
Signatories:
Afghan Association in Italy
Afghan Community Migration and Refugees in Greece
Afghan Lawyers Association in Europe
Ariana Association- Sweden
Bayani Association in Norway
Cultural Association of Afghans and Catalans in Barcelona- Spain
European Global Civil Society Organization
Faiz Mohammad Katib Cultural Center- Netherlands
Fanus Association Gutenberg-Sweden
Farda Cultural Club in Sweden
Finnish Afghan Organization
House Association- Sweden
Hazara Council of Great Britain
Hazara’s in Holland Communities
Katib Cultural Association- Denmark
Kolba dost Association in France
Kufa Institution- Germany
Meet friend Association Germany
Organization for Afghanistan’s Children- France
Paris Peace Association
Qalandar Association in Belgium
Saba Association- Switzerland
Salsal Union in Sweden
Salsal and shahmama Cultural Association- Switzerland
Sports and Cultural Association New start- Austria
Unaccompanied youth- Sweden
World Hazara Council in Sweden
Writers and Artists Association – Norway
Youth without border- Germany.