アフガニスタン情勢に関する安保理討論における別所大使ステートメント
令和元年9月10日
(As delivered)
Thank you Mr. President,I thank you for convening this debate on Afghanistan. I also wish to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Mr. Yamamoto Tadamichi for his informative briefing and his tireless efforts, as well as those of UNAMA. Let me further express my appreciation to all the briefers for their remarks, as well as to Ambassador Adela Raz of Afghanistan for her valuable input.
Achieving sustainable peace in Afghanistan is a long-cherished desire not only for the Afghan people but for the whole international community. An Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process is crucial, and Japan supports the determination and efforts of the Afghan Government towards its realization.
We also commend the dedication of Afghanistan’s international partners to this end, including Germany and Qatar for their efforts in bringing to fruition the intra-Afghan peace dialogue in July; US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for his negotiations with the Taliban; and the United States, Russia, China and Pakistan for convening the Four-Party Meeting on the Afghan Peace Process held in Beijing on 10-11 July. Japan hopes that these endeavors will eventually lead to an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, and we would like to continue our cooperation with international partners to help achieve peace and prosperity in Afghanistan.
Mr. President,
With the presidential elections coming up at the end of this month, Japan welcomes the news that relevant preparations are on track, including the full voter registration process that took place in Ghazni Province, where the 2018 parliamentary elections were not held due to political tensions and insecurity. It is important that the people of Afghanistan are able to cast their vote and decide their own future. UNAMA plays a critical role in the electoral process, and Japan commends and supports the efforts made by Mr. Yamamoto and his team.
The participation of women in Afghanistan is fundamental, in both the peace and electoral processes. Japan welcomes the recent visit to Afghanistan by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, and lauds her clear focus on Women, Peace and Security.
Meanwhile, Japan expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation for the continuing terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, which are aimed at disrupting the peace efforts and electoral preparations. We stress that the only way to end the conflict in Afghanistan is by a peaceful settlement achieved through dialogue.
Mr. President,
Japan remains committed to supporting a self-reliant and stable Afghanistan. We are steadily implementing the assistance of 96 million US dollars that we committed in March, and later this year we intend to further provide support to Afghanistan in its efforts in education, especially to improve the adult literacy rate.
I thank you, Mr. President.