Copenhagen: Representatives from the interim government of Afghanistan and a group of Afghans from various sectors of society called on all Afghans to work together for better outcomes in the war-torn country, according to a joint statement released after a meeting in Oslo of Norway.
“The participants of the meeting held on January 25 recognized that understanding and joint cooperation are the only solutions to all the problems of Afghanistan,” said the statement on the official website of the Norwegian government.
All the participants, according to the statement, with one voice, declared such meetings to be in the interest of the country, Xinhua news agency reported.
“The participants affirmed that Afghanistan is the common home of all Afghans, and emphasized that all Afghans need to work together for better political, economic, and security outcomes in the country,” it added.
Norway had invited representatives of the Taliban to Oslo on January 23-25 for meetings with the Norwegian authorities and representatives of the international community, as well as with other Afghans from a range of fields within civil society.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said that one of the key principles underpinning Norway’s peace and reconciliation efforts is the willingness to talk to all parties. Norway has been in dialogue with the Taliban for many years.
Meanwhile, the Taliban delegation hailed the Oslo meeting as “a major breakthrough.”
“We have had very fruitful conversations in Norway … We have not negotiated, but have had interesting exchanges of views on the situation in Afghanistan,” Norwegian national broadcaster NRK quoted an anonymous representative of the delegation as saying.
