AFGHANISTAN SEEKS POSITIVE GLOBAL TIES BASED ON MUTUAL RESPECT

By Nur Atiq Maisarah Suhaimi

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 (Bernama) -- Afghanistan aims to maintain positive relations, not only with regional states, but with all countries based on mutual respect and shared interests.

Afghanistan Centre for Strategic Studies (CSS) Director Dr Abdul Hai Qanit said the country is seeking to advance cooperation through dialogue, engagement, and positive interaction.

“We firmly believe that dialogue, engagement, and positive interaction are the only sustainable paths to confidence building,” he said, during a special public talk titled “Understanding Afghanistan and Its Governance in the Current Geopolitical Dynamics” held at International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) here on Thursday.

The CSS is an academic agency of the Afghan Foreign Ministry entrusted with strengthening and promoting knowledge-based diplomacy, conducting research and analysis on the current era's crisis, and advising the ministry on cross-border developments.

He said Afghanistan’s foreign policy is firmly grounded in balance and economic pragmatism.

“The foundation of our policy is rooted in the religious and national values of the Afghan people. We do not view foreign policy through a zero-sum lens. Afghanistan’s relations with one country do not come at the expense of relations with others,” Qanit affirmed.

On relations with Southeast Asian countries, he described Malaysia as an important partner for a mutually beneficial relationship. 

He noted that Afghanistan and Malaysia, as Islamic countries, share significant intellectual and normative convergence on many international issues, adding that it is an asset that should be put to good use.

Qanit said Afghanistan also presents a substantial opportunity for Malaysia in trade, expertise, and technology know-how, with scope for both sides to cooperate in supporting Afghanistan’s development.

He said as a developing economy, Afghanistan requires a wide range of Malaysian goods and services, while Malaysia’s expertise in areas such as education, agriculture, and economic development policies offer meaningful cooperation with Afghanistan’s government and private sectors.

He said that trade between the two countries reached approximately US$200 million during the first eight months of this year – an improvement driven largely by the private sector.

Meanwhile, IAIS Chairman Prof Dr Maszlee Malik said Malaysia should seize the opportunity to strengthen trade relations with Afghanistan, as the country is now focusing more on geo-economic agenda as opposed to geopolitics.

“The new Afghanistan focuses more on geo-economics. Therefore, Malaysia needs to intensify trade relations by exploring areas that can be of mutual benefit,” he told reporters.

Maszlee added that IAIS stands ready to offer its expertise in training and research, in addition to acting as a link with Malaysian education institutions to support Afghanistan's rebuilding agenda.

-- BERNAMA