Saudi Arabia calls for stability and protection of lives in Afghanistan

RIYADH, 17 Aug 2021 [Fik/News Sources]: Saudi Arabia said it is carefully following events in Afghanistan, and expressed hope that the situation will stabilize as soon as possible.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hopes that the Taliban movement and all Afghan parties will work to preserve security, stability, lives and property, and at the same time, affirms its support for the Afghan people and the choices they make without any interference,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Taliban mounted a lightening offensive in Afghanistan 10 days ago and began capturing all the cities, culminating with the take over of the capital, Kabul, on Sunday, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country.

Also on Sunday, the Saudi embassy in Kabul evacuated all its embassy staff and returned them to the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s foreign ministry said it was also closely following developments in Afghanistan with great concern, and called on all Afghan parties to exercise maximum restraint to prevent bloodshed and provide full protection for civilians and the safe exit of stranded diplomats and foreign nationals.

“The ministry stressed the importance of everyone working together to preserve the security and stability of Afghanistan and the rights and interests of its people,” the statement said.

The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said it had suspended flights of airlines registered in the UAE to Afghan airports.

“The authority said that it is following the latest developments in Afghanistan, and assessing the current situation in coordination with the concerned authorities and national carriers in the UAE, in order to ensure the safe operation of airlines in the country,” the statement said.

GCAA said it places the security and safety of civil aviation at the top of its priorities.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on the Taliban and all parties to work to advance the interests of the Afghan people, protect lives, renounce violence and bring lasting peace to achieve stability, decent living and prosperity.

The OIC’s General Secretariat said it was also following-up on the developments, is keen to establish security and peace as soon as possible, and reiterated its full commitment in support of the peace process led by Afghanistan.