The extraordinary G20 summit on Afghanistan was held online on October 12, 2021. The summit was chaired by the Italian Government President Mario Draghi and was attended by representatives of 19 countries, including China through the Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi.
All participating countries have shown a willingness to act to resolve the serious humanitarian emergency in Afghanistan and to give the United Nations a general mandate to coordinate actions.
It was also noted the need to maintain contacts with the Taliban, although this does not mean their recognition and maintaining the principle of zero tolerance on terrorism.
China has placed at the center of the debate the need to guarantee Afghanistan an open and inclusive development path in respect of its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Minister Wang Yi recalled that the imposition of one's own ideologies and arbitrary interference in the internal affairs of other countries brings only to turmoil and poverty, as demonstrated by the Afghan experience. Minister Wang Yi also indicated the importance of finding consensus and strengthening synergies within international mechanisms on the issue of Afghanistan, lifting unilateral sanctions against the country and calling on international financial institutions to increase their support.
Another delicate issue on the G20 table was migration flows resulting from the Afghan situation. On this point, Turkey stressed that it could not continue to host Afghans and proposed forming a working group on migration chaired by Ankara under the next Indonesian presidency of the G20 in 2022.
President Mario Draghi at the end of the G20 said: “From my point of view this meeting is a success. It is the first multilateral response to the Afghan crisis. Multilateralism is making a comeback as a working scheme for the countries of the world ”.
Press Office
Silk Council
Comments