Ghani Discusses Peace Talks In Jalalabad

President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday visited eastern Nangarhar province where he met with eastern zone

President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday visited eastern Nangarhar province where he met with eastern zone officials and tribal elders and discussed with them the issue of peace talks.

Ghani met with Laghman, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan officials and exchanged ideas about the talks and ways to establish lasting peace and stability in the country.

At this meeting, local officials and tribal elders from eastern provinces announced their support to the peace process and shared their concerns about insecurity and other problems in their areas.

Meanwhile, Nangarhar governor Salim Khan Kunduzi said he is optimistic about the cooperation between security agencies in his province and that he is sure security will improve in the near future.

This comes after Nangarhar has experienced a sharp decrease in security over the past few weeks.

In addition, tribal elders from eastern provinces announced their support to government’s plans to boost security and the economy in the country.

According to reports, representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.S and China will attend a joint meeting in Islamabad on Monday to map out the way forward for peace talks with the Taliban.

Last week, the U.S State Department’s spokesman John Kirby confirmed the United States’ participation in the meeting and said they have planned to participate in the event.

Meanwhile in a press conference Sunday afternoon, Ghani urged Nangarhar’s governor to continue its fight against Daesh.

He said Daesh has no place in Afghanistan.

In relation to the upcoming peace talks, Ghani assured the nation that any peace deal reached will be based on the nation’s principals.

He said Afghanistan’s sovereignty cannot be traded and that no country is in a position to dictate to Afghanistan who it can and who it can’t have relations with.

On the issue of the economy, Ghani said foreign aid will not eliminate poverty. He said the nation needs to get involved and investors need to be found.