China pledges financial, training assistance to Afghanistan

China pledged to provide non-reimbursable assistance of 500 million yuan (about 81.43 million U.S. dollars) to Afghanistan this year at an international meeting on Afghanistan held in Beijing on Friday.

China will provide non-reimbursable assistance of 1.5 billion yuan (about 244 million U.S. dollars) over the upcoming three years to Afghanistan, to help the country train 3,000 people of all circles in the upcoming five years and provide 500 scholarships, said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang while addressing the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial conference of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan.

"Firm support for Afghanistan's peaceful reconstruction should be concrete action instead of verbal commitment," the premier said.

He pledged to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas such as infrastructure construction, agriculture, water conservation and mineral resources exploitation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledged that the Chinese side will implement assistance and training plans, and try to open training courses on anti-terrorism, drug control and disaster management.

China will have a broader and deepened participation in cooperation under the framework of the Istanbul Process, and promote Afghanistan-related regional cooperation, Wang said.

Started in 2011, the Istanbul Process is the only Afghanistan-related cooperation mechanism led by regional countries.

To promote result-oriented cooperation through practical means, the Istanbul Process has identified a number of confidence building measures (CBM) in areas including anti-terrorism, drug control, disaster management, trade and investment opportunity, regional infrastructure construction and education to be jointly implemented by interested participating and supporting countries and organizations.

According to Wang, 15 cooperation programs in those areas have been conducted over past year, which have seen good results.

Sixty-four more priority programs were identified in Friday's ministerial conference, which will help Afghanistan develop its national governance, self-development, public security and defense, Wang said.

He called on all parties involved to implement these programs, provide financial or technological assistance and strengthen cooperation.

Wang also stressed that realizing political reconciliation as soon as possible and strengthening Afghanistan's capability building were of vital importance to its transition process.

He hoped all political parties in Afghanistan work toward the realization of inclusive political reconciliation through dialogue and negotiation. He called on the Istanbul Process to play an important and constructive role in helping Afghanistan .

Premier Li also presented a five-point proposal for the solution of Afghan issue, including insisting self-governance of the Afghan people, promoting political reconciliation among different Afghan political parties, speeding up economic reconstruction, exploring a development path for the country, and strengthening external support.

The international community should respect Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, not interfere with its internal affairs and support Afghanistan's efforts to realize security and stability, Li said.

He called on the country's political parties to lay aside former enmity and join the reconciliation process. The international community should support the Afghan-led Afghan-owned peace process and create a suitable environment for the peaceful reconciliation, he said.

He urged the international community to fulfill assistance commitments and help Afghanistan achieve sustained economic development.

He said the international community should respect the choice of the Afghan people regarding the country's development path and social system.

The international community should also support Afghanistan in developing relations with other countries and to participate in global and regional cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and reciprocity, and help it build up security security capability, Li added.

He also voiced support for the UN to play a leading role in coordinating the global efforts to assist Afghanistan.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, who is paying his first China visit since taking office in September, agreed with Li's proposals while addressing the opening ceremony.

He said the Istanbul Process would lay the foundations for an early solution to the Afghan issue as well as the region's peace and stability. He also hailed the important contribution China made to expedite the process.

Friday's conference is the first time China has hosted an Afghanistan-related international meeting. This was also the first meeting since the new Afghan government assumed office.

Beijing Declaration was released after the meeting.

The declaration said the fourth ministerial conference is a crucial opportunity for enhancing cooperation through achieving consensus among the "Heart of Asia" countries and the wider international community on achieving lasting peace, sustainable security and economic development in Afghanistan and in the "Heart of Asia" region.

"We believe that the new government will make every effort to continue to successfully lead the "Heart of Asia"- Istanbul Process and realize its objectives in building confidence and enhancing cooperation for a secure and stable Afghanistan and the region," the declaration said.

"We commit to maintain the input into the capacity building and support of the Afghan National Security Forces, according to the declaration, " it said.

In the declaration,the ministers called on the Taliban to renounce violence, cut ties with all terrorist groups and institutes supporting these groups, and respect the Afghan Constitution, and called on all parties to encourage the Taliban towards reconciliation.

"We support the initiation of the reconciliation process as soon as possible. We welcome the contribution by the 'Heart of Asia' countries to this process, " it said.

The declaration reiterated that terrorism and extremism pose a serious threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan, affirming the determination to enhance regional cooperation to dismantle their sanctuaries and training bases, cut off their sources of funding, combat arms, lethal goods smuggling, and strengthen border control in the region and beyond. "We strongly condemn all forms and manifestation of terrorism, particularly those targeting innocent civilians," it said.

The declaration called on the international community to provide further support and assistance to Afghan refugees to enable their voluntary repatriation and resettlement in Afghanistan in a safe, timely and dignified manner.

"We commit to pursue opportunities to enhance regional economic cooperation and call upon the rest of the international community to fulfill their commitments to the long-term development of Afghanistan," it said.

The declaration expressed hope that the United Nations support the Afghanistan during the transition period. "We also emphasize stronger coordination and collaboration with the 'Heat of Asia'-Istanbul Process by the supporting regional and international organizations."

According to the declaration, Pakistan will host the fifth ministerial meeting of the Istanbul Process in 2015.