Doha - information office - 8 July

HE Minister of Foreign Affairs' Special Envoy for Counterterrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution Dr. Mutlaq bin Majid Al Qahtani has announced the success of the two-day Afghan Peace talks held in Doha under the auspices of the State of Qatar and Germany.

The Intra- Afghan Peace talks, launched yesterday in Doha, and gathered many Afghan personalities representing many different parties in Afghanistan, in the context of efforts to support the peace process there.

The Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister for Combating Terrorism and Conflict Resolution, in his speech at the closing of the conference this evening, stressed that the State of Qatar values these joint efforts noting that "More than 60 Afghans representing all segments of Afghan society, including women, the Taliban and representatives of the Government, met in their personal capacity for the first time to discuss ways to end the conflict in Afghanistan and achieve peace, where they dealt over a two-day with wide range of issues of common concern including the rights of women and minorities, the ceasefire, the release of prisoners, the withdrawal of foreign forces and the political future of Afghanistan. "

"We are very pleased today to reach a joint statement as a first step to peace and we thank them for their support for the ongoing talks in Qatar which they consider important and positive in ending the conflict in Afghanistan," His Excellency added.

He stressed that what has been reached today may be only a first step to find an understanding between the conflicting parties, noting the agreement of all on the importance and the need to build on them and continue efforts, saying: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step."

His Excellency expressed the hope that this event would mark the beginning of a meaningful process leading to a comprehensive and sustainable peace in Afghanistan. He expressed his thanks to all Afghan participants for the constructive spirit in this dialogue and for all those who contributed to the success of this conference and its sponsors.

He concluded by stressing that the State of Qatar will remain a force of peace, love and cooperation with the peoples, the Afghan people and the international community to achieve peace in Afghanistan.

For his part, HE Ambassador Markus Potzel the German envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, stressed that the success of the conference is the first step to end the violence in Afghanistan. He expressed his happiness at the agreement of the parties participating in the conference to issue a joint final statement as a outputs document of this Afghan- Afghan conference.

The German envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, in his speech to conclude the work of the Afghan Peace Conference praised the constructive participation of all parties in the conference and take them to the responsibility of their own country, stressing that reaching this joint statement is a step forward in efforts to stop the violence in Afghanistan.

He hoped that the success of the Afghan Peace Conference would serve as a good starting point for a comprehensive solution to the peace process, encouraging all participants to seek to meet again and continue dialogue to promote and deepen bilateral relations in order to produce results that would benefit the Afghan people.

The joint final communique included several important points, most notably the agreement of all the participants in the conference that the achievement of sustainable peace in Afghanistan will be achieved only through comprehensive Afghan negotiations, and that Afghanistan is a unified and homogeneous Islamic state of all races and Islamic sovereignty, as well as the importance of achieving Social and political justice, the establishment of national unity and the territorial sovereignty to which all Afghans are committed.

The participants in the Afghan-Afghan dialogue stressed in their joint final communique the importance of preventing Afghanistan from entering into other wars and that the Afghan peace dialogue is important and decisive among the different sectors of society. They stressed the need for the international community to respect Afghan values. They also stressed that in order to reach effective Afghan negotiations, a number of points must be adhered to, notably that the parties of the crisis must avoid threats, retaliation and verbal warfare, and give priority to the language of dialogue during official meetings and not to fuel conflict and that the participants in the Afghan Peace Conference support the ongoing peace talks in Doha and emphasize that the effective and positive outcome of the negotiations will be fruitful and in the interest of Afghanistan.

The participants also agreed in the joint final communique on the importance of taking steps that would create a reliable environment for peace in Afghanistan, emphasize the security of Afghanistan from wars and their consequences, and the need for all parties to take into account these measures, including the unconditional release of prisoners, the elderly, the disabled, and patients and ensure the security of public facilities such as hospitals and markets, educational institutions such as schools, universities and populated areas, emphasizing the respect and protection of the dignity and property of the Afghan people and protecting the rights of women in all political, social, economic, educational and cultural affairs.

The participants in the Afghan Peace Conference in Doha also agreed on a road map for peace based on the following conditions: Establishing the Islamic system of the state for the implementation of comprehensive peace, and the peace process began with the completion of all these items, monitor and follow up the implementation of the peace agreement, reform all vital institutions that benefit the Afghan people, support post-peace donor countries based on cooperation and new relations, and ensure that neighboring and regional countries do not interfere in Afghan affairs.

The participants also agreed to accept the recent resolution of the Afghan dialogue held on 5 and 6 February 2019 in Moscow, calling on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), United Nations, the Security Council, the European Union (EU) and neighboring countries to support the peace conferences held in Moscow and Doha.

At the conclusion of the joint final communique, participants of the Afghan Peace Conference expressed their thanks and appreciation for the joint efforts of the State of Qatar and Germany to work for the success of the Afghan Peace Conference. They also expressed the hope that all parties concerned would continue to support them in the interests of Afghanistan and its people in the context of a real peace that all wish.