KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2021) The Afghan government expects that the Taliban movement will cease fighting and use the current opportunity to establish peace in the country, Abdullah Abdullah, the head of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation said on Sunday.
"The current opportunity for peace that has arisen is valued by the Afghan government and the nation. We expect the Taliban to stop violence and make peace," Abdullah said during a meeting with Swiss Ambassador to Afghanistan Benedict Sergeit.
According to the council's head, peace has become a national issue and there is no other issue that Afghans can prioritize over it.
The Swiss diplomat, in turn, welcomed the current peace process and pledged to work with the Afghan government on the matter.
Later on Sunday, Abdullah reiterated his call and urged the Taliban to seize the current opportunity for peace.
The intra-Afghan peace negotiations were launched in Qatar's Doha back in September. Both sides have announced that they agreed on the framework of the talks, allowing for discussions on substantive issues to kick off. At the same time, clashes between the government forces and the Taliban opposition movement, as well as bomb explosions, continue to ravage Afghanistan.
