KABUL - Minister of Finance Eklil Hakimi, during his trip to Brussels, met EU Human Rights Vice-Pres­ident Federica Mogherini and ministers of foreign af­fairs and development from the 28 member states.
During the EU Foreign Affairs Committee’s session on May 12, Hakimi briefed the session on the upcoming Brussels Conference on Afghanistan (4-5 October), according
to a statement from the Ministry of Finance. Also a former ambassador, Hakimi presented the new Afghan National
Development Framework and highlighted recent economic achievements of the national unity  government, the statement added. Mogherini underlined the EU’s continued engagement with Afghanistan, both politically and financially with development assistance (EUR 200 million per year until 2020). She stressed: “Helping Afghanistan
not only helps the Afghan people, but it is also an investment in our security and stability in Europe.”
During his visit to the EU Council, Hakimi briefed the media on the Afghan government’s expectations from the the forthcoming Brussels Conference on Afghanistan. At a separate meeting, he threw light on the role of civil society organisations in Afghanistan’s development. Later in the day, he joined a Brussels-based think tank session organized by Friends of Europe, where he talked about economic opportunities in Afghanistan. Hakimi signed with the EU Development Coordination Director Pierre Amilhatan incentive programme agreement in the framework
of mutual accountability, amounting to EUR 125 million in assistance to the Afghan government.
(Pajhwok)