Afghanistan, European Union, and United States met on December 9th 2015, in Islamabad, on the margins of the Heart of Asia Ministerial
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the European Union, and the United States of America met on December 9th 2015, in Islamabad, on the margins of the Heart of Asia Ministerial. Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, and Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid led the delegations. Discussions focused on the preparations for the 2016 Warsaw and Brussels Conferences on Afghanistan and the latest regional security and economic developments. The U.S. and Afghanistan welcomed the decision taken by the European Union to host the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan on October 4-5, 2016. The three sides agreed to work together to support preparations for the Brussels Conference, and ensure that the efforts of the Afghan government and the donor community are closely aligned in the spirit of mutual accountability. They agreed that the Brussels and Warsaw conferences were important opportunities to support the Afghan government as it advances its reform and governance agenda. Progress on these Afghan reform commitments is crucial to enabling the donor community to extend extraordinary commitments of security and development assistance to Afghanistan at the Warsaw and Brussels Conferences, respectively. The delegations agreed on the need for strong Afghan ownership in preparing the two conferences and called on all international partners to pledge robust support to Afghanistan in connection with the conferences. Afghanistan, the EU and the U.S. welcomed the high-level regional participation at the Heart of Asia Ministerial, which provides all partners with an opportunity to address common challenges and reach mutually beneficial solutions.