Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, said in his farewell speech on Tuesday that he hopes the country’s ministry of foreign affairs is not manipulated for political purposes.
Karzai resigned from his position last week.
On Tuesday he said staff and employees at the ministry of foreign affairs are professional and educated and know their work; he warned that if the ministry is manipulated for political purposes under the pretext of elections, the foreign policy institution of the country will be weakened significantly.
Meanwhile, Salahuddin Rabbani, the acting minister of foreign affairs said what Afghanistan needs today is trust building and unity.
Rabbani also hailed the services of Karzai during the past four years and said he contributed substantially in various areas such peace efforts and moves to improve Afghanistan’s foreign policy.
“The current generation of Afghanistan today needs trust building rather than any other things, unfortunately what we see today is the lack of trust,” said Rabbani.
“The Afghan institutions become stronger each day and their capacity is developed, I hope that the ministry of foreign affairs is not treated politically, there is capacity in the ministry of foreign affairs,” said Karzai.
Iranian and US ambassadors to Afghanistan also attended the ceremony where they highlighted the achievements made by Karzai regarding Afghanistan’s national interests and peace.
“We will continue to do everything we can to support the efforts of this government. Everyone in society who is committed to realizing the future in Afghanistan in which all of the Afghan citizens can live in peace and dignity. So thank you very much for your great collaboration and your professionalism and dedication to the cause of peace,” said US envoy Bass.
“Whenever we talk about different issues, one of the outstanding features that he (Karzai) kept was balance when it comes to Afghanistan’s foreign policy,” said Iranian envoy to Kabul Mohammad Reza Bahrami.
Karzai stepped down from his post on Wednesday morning citing 'differences on foreign policies' with the leadership of the National Unity Government.
In his resignation letter, Karzai said he had worked for peace and stability in the country under the framework of the country’s foreign policy to keep the balance in relations between Afghanistan and neighboring countries, the region and powerful nations. He said he has launched “a mechanism to gain peace.”
A brief look at Karzai’s achievements
While at the Ministry, he chaired several national and international processes/forums including Heart of Asia- Istanbul Process, Regional Economic Cooperation Conference for Afghanistan (RECCA), and International Contact Group (ICG) among others.
He led the Afghan delegation for talks with the Taliban in July 2015 and at the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and United States) meetings with a focus on creating an enabling environment for the Afghan peace process.
Prior to his current appointment, he was the Founding Director of Afghanistan's Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies and under his leadership, CAPS become one of the leading research and advocacy centers in Afghanistan.
In addition to the main office in Kabul, CAPS have regional branches in Kandahar, Khost, Parwan and Helmand.
Karzai has been engaged in various national processes with particular emphasis on the Peace Process and Youth Empowerment.
In 2009, he set up a major initiative titled: Trust Building and Paving the Road for Reconciliation. As a result of his effort, CAPS provided pro-bono legal assistance to thousands of security detainees throughout the country.