Honorable President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. Exccellency, Kaifala Marah, Chairman of g7+

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1 Honorable President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Exccellency, Kaifala Marah, Chairman of g7+ Excellencies, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Finance, of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Hosts of this Meeting Excellency Syed Ahmad Gilani, Head of Afghan High Peace Council Excellencies Ministers, Distinguished Members of Parliament, Esteemed Ambassadors, Heads of Donors agencies Distinguished Guests Ladies and Gentlemen AssalamMulaikun!!! Starhay Ma shai!!! Maanda Na bashen!!! First of all, I would like to wish a Happy New Year Nawai Kaal mubarak, Saal e Naw Mubarak. May this year help us to put an end to the differences, to the violence and to the suffering of the innocent people and be the beginning of peace and prosperity for all human being. 1

2 On behalf of my delegation, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and express our sincere thanks to the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, for the wonderful hospitality and for hosting the 4 th g7+ Ministerial meeting. I feel special pleasure and honor to be able to come to this beautiful country, which I have wished for long. I believe that, like us the Timorese delegation, for several of my fellow colleagues, from other g7+ countries, this is the first time to visit an ancient land of the old civilization. And we all can see here that, despite our origins and differences, the main factor, in the g7+, is that this group connects and unites us in a visionary goal that is peace and prosperity. Honorable President, Afghan brothers and sisters! I bow to the heritage of your ancestral history! I salute the resilience you have demonstrated, for decades, facing difficult challenges in your journey for the wellbeing of the country. The bravery, courage and tremendous strength of this nation are an inspiration! We know how this nation defended its sovereignty through centuries, how committed was for peace during the 2 world wars and how this nation endured foreign aggressions. But, unfortunately, today this nation is striving to get peace, in all parts of this land, from the mountains to the valleys, from the 2

3 cities to the rural areas and, of course, for all its citizens. My heart goes to the mothers and fathers of this nation, which have lost their children in order to achieve the goal of living without violence and without pressure of any kind. I commend the leadership of this country for their wisdom and tireless effort for peace and stability. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen! Peace and development are the two major GOALS of today s world. Peace, development and cooperation are part of the irresistible global trend. The world today is moving towards multi-polarity and the economic globalization is gaining traction. There is a growing call for change in the international system, while the world is facing more historical challenges. Global challenges have become the major threats to the world. They include financial crises and natural disasters, climate change and inappropriate exploitation of resources, food security and public health; besides this, radicalism, extremism, violence and, consequently, war, are of a terrible and catastrophic impact on human survival and sustainable economic and social development. 3

4 No single country, be rich or poor, well-armed or defenseless, big power or small and tiny state, no one can handle these issues alone. We are not living in the so called sophisticated world; instead, we are living in a very complicated world. Last year, I was invited by a Commission of the European Parliament to address a Conference, in the Expo Milano/Italy, with the topic: Human rights, right to food and land right. What is missing? I told the Conference that what was missing is PEACE! I expressed my deep concerns on the situation in Europe, reminding that, facing a serious financial crisis, the European governments will not afford to receive the wave of refugees. I reminded that the refugees were leaving their countries, not because they don t have enough land, but because of the war. A war, the big powers installed to defend their own interests, a war which the refugees didn t ask for. I have to say, here and today, that I was against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and I could convey, personally, my conviction to the former President of the United States, George W. Bush, when we met in Washington, right before his second term. In Milano, I made an appeal to the World Decision Makers to stop funding wars, outside of their countries. 4

5 I reminded everybody how costly, for the taxpayers of developed countries, the humanitarian assistance to help the people in need. It is because, the international community is only prepared to react to the conflicts, instead of making efforts to avoid deteriorating situations and, instead of looking at the root of the problems, the international agencies only try to address the consequences of the problems Ladies and Gentlemen This is the complicated world we are living in. We know that the world s current system is asphyxiating all of us, and doesn t allow us to share the same opportunities, that development and peace building are demanding to each of us. We feel that the world problems must be addressed by all countries together, but in a way that respects the peculiarities of each country. Because we don t have voice in the world matters, what we can see is that there is not real effort for international cooperation, pushing the world peace and development into a huge obstacles and disastrous setback. The international community should find new paradigms, on how to pursue reciprocal and mutually beneficial cooperation, by exploring new ways to enhance exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations. The international community can, also, make efforts to identify new dimensions in the common 5

6 interests and values of mankind, by looking for new methods to handle multiple challenges, through fair cooperation among countries, in order to implement the basis for inclusive development. The international community and the world leaders must realize that: -we want peace and not war, - we want development and not stagnation, - we need dialogue and not confrontation and - finally, we need a better understanding and not the usual misleading of the problems. Unfortunately, this has been the general trend of the world, against the collective and genuine aspiration of all people. For been against this global trend, the g7+ is looking for engaging other players, based on the spirit of volunteerism, solidarity and cooperation. With a total population of over 300 million people, the 20 g7+ countries are a small portion of the 1.5 billion, of all fragile countries, who have been experiencing pains and calamities of conflict, war, aggression and natural disasters. Despite being so heterogeneous, with different cultures, race and believe, dispersed geographically around the world, from Africa to 6

7 Caribbean, from Asia to Pacific, WE are united by the challenges and the aspirations that are common to us. We understand how it feels, when a country is longing for peace, since each of us have been through similar circumstances. Our collective aspiration, strengthened by our life experiences, allowed us to present to the world what we call, the New Deal, as a new formula to address, by peaceful means, the problems of nearly 1.5 billion people. Development partners may define our countries as fragile, failed or least developed states ; but, in fact, we are determined to make the necessary changes for better. Development partners must work through our own priorities, avoiding the natural tendency to impose their own agenda. From our side, we have to be committed to relevant reforms, in order to take our own responsibilities. We understand that Capable Institutions, with Good governance, good planning and good implementation, will result in inclusive participation. It is already proven that we are resilient, brave and courageous people. Our vision for peace and development is often questioned, more because the development partners don t want to understand the particularity of each process, in each country. We want to solve our problems, in our own way, that suits our societies and traditions. We are against the standardization of principles and laws, disrespecting the identity of each society. We honor the 7

8 universal values, but we ask for better understanding of the fact that we don t want to act and react like good students. We are human beings and, it s important to say, the approach, in a complementary way, is not something new. This has been the practice since the earliest civilization. I denounced the Arab Spring, right in its very beginning, and I said it will be the Arab Storm. It was only because of my principle, that democracy can not and should not be imposed from outside, and democracy will not flourish if it s by means of violence and, of course, by war. Three years ago, in the Bali Democracy Forum, I made an appeal to the countries of the region not to allow any temptation for a disastrous Asian spring. Honorable President Ladies and Gentlemen Through the New Deal, we tried to convince the world that peace is the corner stone for development. And peace can be made, only if it is through a progressive and genuine participation of the population. Peace can only be a sustainable achievement, if we address the root causes of conflicts and wars! I can take Rwanda, as a good example we all remember the tragic consequences of the genocide in that country. The international community and Rwandan human rights activists demanded, with 8

9 inflammatory speeches and resolutions, the trial for the crimes against humanity. The very expensive trial condemned the perpetrators it was perfect, for the satisfaction of the international community. But, the Rwandans couldn t live in peace, despite the heavy punishment, occurred in The Hague. Peace is not simply the absence of war; peace must be the real living behavior of the society, because peace is, after all, peace of mind. The Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, started the reconciliation amongst Rwandans and this policy helped the Rwandans to achieve de real peace. It was also what happens in my country, Timor-Leste. After 24 years of a terrible Indonesian military occupation, that cost the life of more than Timorese, after the referendum in 1999, we established a Commission of Truth and Reconciliation. My colleague, present also here, Dr. Aniceto Guterres, currently Member of Parliament, was the Chairman of that Commission. With the Indonesian Government, we established another Commission of Truth and Friendship. In both Commissions, we registered all the crimes committed, not only by Indonesians against the Timorese but also by Timorese themselves. The international community tried to teach us about the no impunity concept and demanded to take the perpetrators to justice. We said no, by adding that although we forgive, that past will accompany us forever, just to impede that it happens again. You may recall, our neighbor, Indonesia, is 9

10 the largest Muslim country in the world and Timor-Leste is Catholic. I have the pleasure to introduce, to you, a young and very dynamic Indonesian diplomat, Dr. Dino Patti Djalal. Today, the two countries are enjoying peace and stability that enhance the G to G and people to people cooperation. More importantly, if we remind ourselves that peace only comes when we overcome our ego, we can say that peace is only a reality if we surpass, consciously and honestly, the tormentous past that oppresses us, and get ourselves united for a bright future for us all. And, when we accept the differences, as useful tools to frame a positive and collective vision, then we are able to work together for the common good of the generations to come. Let me, Ladies and Gentlemen, give you another example. South Sudan became independent in Few months later, we had a g7+ meeting in Juba, welcoming South Sudan, which replaced Timor-Leste as the newest country of this millennium. In the middle of 2013, we were told about political frictions among the leaders of that brotherly country. In December of 2013, we went to Juba in order to assist the leaders of the young state to avoid entering in an armed conflict that will destroy the future of the country and make the population suffer, as happening now. I brought to them our own case: 10

11 Becoming independent in May 2002, we couldn t free ourselves from the spectrum of a post-conflict country. Two years later, our society started to be shaken by protest and actions against the government. And, in 2006, we were flung into a civil war, since we couldn t manage our differences, because we were reluctant to sit together and discuss the problems we were facing. The violence and killings erupted in form of houses burning and over displaced people, and the situation became worst with armed rebels taking refuge in the mountain. The international community called us a failed state and, according to experts, the crisis would take at least 10 years to be solved. Thanks to the resilience of our people, we managed to restore peace and order, in only two years. We were criticized for buying peace, but since then our people enjoyed stability and peace dividends, which allow them to start building their lives. Because of this success, we launched a national motto: Goodbye conflict, Welcome development. Therefore, as leaders from Fragile countries, we don t have any other option, but to address our differences through dialogue. And dialogue is the essence of democracy. When, from our differences, we go through a consensus to put the national interest, above all other interests, as the main target to invest in, the result will be a dynamic participation that will push for the prosperity of the country. 11

12 We assume democracy as a process of dialogue and not an end in itself, but a platform to turn our differences into common good. We went to Haiti, Guinea Konakry, Somalia, South Sudan, Togo, Chade, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and carried this message. We were able to share those lessons with our brothers and sisters in Central African Republic, where Muslims and Christians were killing each other. And I am glad, and we all must applaud, the great achievement in that country, where the people successfully demonstrated their willing for reconciliation and peace. Through this trajectory, the lesson is that we can turn our differences into a source of a better understanding of our rich diversity that can promote compromises for peace, when we put the national interest ahead of our own or of group. Excellencies Through this collective vision, we, the g7+, want to remind the world that imposed solutions, prescribed outside of our national context, can only result in confusion and chaos. The job of the international community is to help us to establish peace, and then the resilience will grow naturally. Our development partners should learn to be patient and supportive over long period, a period needed for development to 12

13 take its roots. Being assertive, aiming for quick wins, often leads to an environment of miscoordination of activities and fragmentation amongst stakeholders. We all agree that democratic governments must be in place, in our countries, because of so called legitimacy, but we are witnessing, in the old democracies, a decadency of democratic values and that legitimacy can be, now, questionable, not been any more a kind of inflexible principle. What we are witnessing, in the old democracies, is that democracy is unable to solve all the problems, essentially the financial ones, and that the alternation of power is not a real alternative but a result of political game. In Spain and Ireland, even with the result of democratic elections, there is not yet a legitimate government, after a long waiting period. Therefore, for our international community, the long-term partnership for the common goal of stability and growth, might sound a very expensive strategy. What we can say is that the cost of conflicts and breakouts of violence is really unaffordable. There are, around the world, so many unsuccessful and very expensive peace-keeping missions, that we should say enough is enough. This situation has been so alarming, in the last few decades. The big question, for the world today, is how long can the big powers continue to promote and fund wars an conflicts and for how long the international organizations can continue to react only, rather than to work for peace. 13

14 I participated, four years ago, in an UN-led Conference on the Alliance of Civilizations, in Bali-Indonesia, and, in my very personal and humble opinion, after that event, what I could see is a more antagonistic posture between civilizations mistrust, hatred, radicalism and extremism are the daily repertoire of the news. Honorable President Distinguished guests We, the g7+, have emerged as a Voice for Peace. Our collective efforts enable the global development framework (SDGs Sustainable Development Goals) to accommodate Peace as one of the 16 global goals. We are ready to join our efforts with major actors, like UN (through its Agencies), WB and IMF, OECD, and contribute in conflict prevention and sustaining peace. We have no vested interest in others internal affairs, as has been the conventional trend. Solidarity is the only bond that keeps us together. But I would like to challenge my brothers and sisters, in the g7+, to show to the international community how we tackle our internal differences through dialogue, and not with guns. I would like to conclude by reminding the world that, we are witnessing an unprecedented level of crises, everywhere. It is imperative to start devoting time to understand and to solve the 14

15 root cause of the problems, instead of only waiting and reacting to their effects and, many times, it happens that the problems are caused by bad policies of others. Together, we can make the difference!!! Together, we can help building a new World, a World of Peace!!! TASHAKOOR, MANANA!!! MERCI BEAUCUP!!! Thank You Very Much! Kabul, 23 of March