Berlin:
The international neighborhood need to sustain dialogue with the Taliban if it is to defend improvements made in Afghanistan for the duration of two decades of NATO deployment, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated Wednesday.
“Our goal must be to preserve as much as possible what we have achieved in terms of changes in Afghanistan in the last 20 years. This is something the international community must talk about with the Taliban,” Merkel stated in a speech to parliament.
Progress made more than the years consists of access to standard necessities — 70 % of Afghans now have access to drinking water as opposed to 20 % a decade ago. And nine in 10 men and women have electrical energy supplies, up from just two in 10 in 2011.
The truth that the Taliban are back in energy is “bitter but we have to deal with it,” Merkel stated.
“Many things in history take a long time. That is why we must not and will not forget Afghanistan,” she stated.
“Because even if it doesn’t look like it in this bitter hour, I remain convinced that no force or ideology can resist the drive for justice and peace,” stated Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany but saw the regime collapse in 1989.
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