In contrast to the current fake-news hysteria launched by the New York Times regarding the Taliban in Afghanistan, there has been a series of talks held by U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad related to finalizing a settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban, which includes economic development as well. Earlier this past week, there was a video conference among Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Abdullah Abdullah, and U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, together with U.S. International Development Finance Corporation CEO Adam Boehler, after which, Sputnik reports, the participants agreed on the “need to prioritize Afghanistan’s economic growth,” which will require a commitment to peace from both Kabul and the Taliban.
“We share a common view that the economic benefits of peace far outweigh the benefits of war. A sustainable peace can mean investment with less risk, lower cost & faster capital deployment,” the U.S. envoy tweeted following the conference.
