Author: VK
By early October, 32 thousand U.S. soldiers left Afghanistan. 208 military bases were closed and 310 transferred to Afghan security forces. In the country there are 68 thousand U.S. soldiers and 323 bases. The U.S. military presence in Afghanistan will continue after the end in 2014 of the tenure of the American contingent in the country announced by President Barack Obama. Washington and Kabul are going to sign a strategic partnership agreement, which will allow the U.S. to leave its bases in the country, reformatting their mission. The U.S. military will be engaged in training Afghan security forces and in counter-terrorism operations. According to the source close to the U.S. military, the Pentagon insists on maintaining troops amounting to 25,000.
Naheed Farid, Deputy of the Parliament of Afghanistan, spoke on the future of Afghanistan after 2014:“In 2001 Afghanistan was a desert. Officially, only 3% of women had access to schools. Now it is already 48%. You see that our young people got the possibility to study not only in schools but also in universities. The economic situation in Afghanistan already allows us to see some prospects. Despite this, the situation is generally very complicated and fragile. In order to strengthen the results achieved, we need to work more. As for the economic situation, Afghanistan does not stand on its own feet, it has to rely on external support. We face severe infrastructural problems, particularly in rural areas, which compose most of our country. 10 years ago we faced enormous hardships and losses because of the interference of our neighbors. Unfortunately, Afghanistan does not have the possibility of relying on oil resources, which support the economies of neighboring countries. Therefore, Afghanistan cannot enter the security system created by those countries. The security system in Afghanistan is different. We mostly oppose the nuclear ambitions of India and Pakistan. In the next 50 years Afghanistan will not be able to join them because of the lack of necessary resources. The existing system of security in Afghanistan is very different. Foreign military forces in Afghanistan amount to 140 thousand.
Commenting on the international relations of Afghanistan, Naheed Farid acknowledged that “Afghanistan relies on extensive Western support. But it should not be forgotten that Afghanistan has always been between the hammer and the anvil, the hammer of Washington and the anvil of Tehran. It is impossible to change the geography of Afghanistan. We need to patiently communicate with our neighbors and to rely on the possibilities of the world community. Afghanistan has to achieve security. In the last 10 years Afghanistan has improved relations with its neighbors. India was the first country. If we have good relations with India, we can consider border regulation with Pakistan. These aims were stated in the decisions of the parliament. The second point is regional policy. We have certain agreements with the US and EU and we have strong allies. But this is not a reason to forget about other countries. We have economic cooperation with Iran, Pakistan, Russian and Central Asian countries. Afghanistan will continue to go this way. It faces numerous difficulties, although it is located at the crossroads of the trade routes. We need the help of our northern and southern neighbors to realize our geographical advantages. Afghanistan can become an important player in the region. Russia plays an important role in this respect. Russia helps Afghanistan to strengthen its stability. Of course, if we do not support good economic connections with Russia, it will harm our own economy. The relations that previously existed between the governments of Russia and Afghanistan cannot be projected on people. Afghanistan cannot be a toy in the political games of other countries. This concerns the US and other states. We intend to continue an independent policy. The Russian government has wide plans to combat the drug trade. This is an important task and one of the aspects of our cooperation. Moreover, we should not forget the potential in the educational sphere. We have a great need for personnel, we need people who will improve Afghanistan, build roads and bridges, who will replenish the number of engineers and doctors. Unfortunately, the need for them is still huge in Afghanistan. The economic support of Russia is very important to us. Over the last ten years Russia has been of great help, not only in the military but also in the civil sphere, for which I express my gratitude to the Russian side. In this regard work is also needed. We should properly assess our needs and requirements, in order to be prepared by 2014. We would like to enlist the support of our region, first of all, Central Asia. One of the challenges that we will face after 2014 is relations between the U.S. and the countries of the region and Russia. Of course, these relations will affect the situation in Afghanistan. God forbid crises hit Iran or India - that would be bad news for Afghanistan”.
Speaking on the internal affairs in Afghanistan, Naheed Farid told that “at the moment, Afghanistan is working on fighting corruption. In the world corruption ratings we immediately follow Somalia. We must change this position. Another problem is the armed forces. No country can assert its independence without armed forces. They are necessary to defend national independence. Afghanistan's national army received good support, and it continues to develop steadily. But we need technical assistance, and in this regard Russia is an important partner. But there are difficulties not only with weapons. We have a great need to strengthen the morale of the army, which is faced with a revaluation of its strength.
Another topic is the peace. We should manage to consolidate peace and to determine the rightful place of the Taliban in the elections in 2014. If this does not happen, if we cannot come to terms with the Taliban, we will be faced with the possibility of a split. Separatism is a phenomenon that does not only disturb Afghan lives, but also thrives in other countries”.
