DUBAI: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan stressed Sunday the need to ensure that Afghanistan does not turn into a shelter for terrorist and extremist groups, stressing that the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country will affect regional stability.
Speaking during an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation hosted in Islamabad, the Saudi foreign minister denounced Daesh terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. He said that the collapse of Afghanistan would lead to chaos that will have regional and international ramifications.
In a bid to alleviate the crisis, Saudi Arabia will begin transporting humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, he said, expressing his hope to create mechanisms to provide humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.
The 17th Extraordinary Session of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers is underway in National Assembly of Pakistan.
The key focus of this conference is to devise a strategy to address the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.#OICInPakistan #OIC4Afg pic.twitter.com/uBV4W8LMQ9
— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) December 19, 2021
A final statement from the meeting said foreign ministers had agreed to establish a humanitarian trust fund to address the growing economic crisis in Afghanistan.
The fund will be set up under the Islamic Development Bank to channel aid to Afghanistan in coordination with other groups, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a news conference.
The statement said that allowing Afghanistan access to its financial resources would be pivotal to preventing economic collapse and said realistic pathways to unfreezing billions of dollars in frozen central bank reserves should be explored.
The meeting also appointed Tarig Ali Bakheet, assistant secretary-general for humanitarian, cultural and social affairs at the OIC General Secretariat, will serve as the special envoy on Afghanistan to the OIC Secretary General.
Meanwhile, Nayef Al-Hajraf, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, called for an international response to provide humanitarian aid to the Afghan people, praising the OIC’s efforts.
He commended the Kingdom’s initiative to call for the extraordinary session and said the GCC would support enhancing security and stability in Afghanistan.
Al-Hajraf also called on the international community to assume its responsibilities, coordinate efforts and provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, given its paramount importance to limit the repercussions of the situation in the country and its reflection on regional and international security and stability.
According to the United Nations, Afghanistan faces “one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world,” while the UN World Food Program warns of serious famine in the future.
Since the Taliban took over in mid-August, no country has recognized its government as of yet.
