Saudi Arabia Welcomes Afghanistan Power-Sharing Deal

Gulf

May 18th, 7:35am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah attend a ceremony to sign a political agreement in Kabul, Afghanistan May 17, 2020. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Monday the power-sharing deal struck between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah. The Saudi Foreign Ministry hoped this “significant step will boost security, stability and peace throughout Afghanistan.” It renewed the Kingdom’s support to Afghanistan and its new government, hoping that it will meet the aspirations of the people. The power-sharing deal ends months of political stalemate and could smooth efforts to end the country’s long-running war. Abdullah had disputed the results of an election in September and announced the formation of a parallel government earlier this year, undermining Ghani’s administration at a time when the United States was trying to advance a peace process with the Taliban to end the 19-year Afghan war. It was not immediately clear which ministries each camp controlled after the agreement was struck.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2289846/saudi-arabia-welcomes-afghanistan-power-sharing-deal