KABUL- President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday inaugurated the Ministry of Interior's new building, close to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, and assured security forces that their presence, professionalism and independence will be taken into account during peace negotiations.

Stressing the need for stability in the country, Ghani said peace is a priority for all Afghans and that the war has been imposed on the country. He said government is trying to leave no stone unturned in bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan.

Ghani thanked all security force members for their sacrifices which have helped secure the country, and said he particularly wants to thank the families of women police officers for having allowed them to join the ranks.

Ghani stated that Afghanistan's relations with its true friends are based on common interests and the world can witness this.

He also thanked U.S President Barack Obama for having decided to keep troops on in the country through 2016 and said the decision was taken because of the sacrifices made by Afghan forces.

He said the security forces have showed that they are capable of taking responsibility to secure the country.

Ghani stated that the new building for Afghan police will allow them access to modern working facilities and that the building will be the center of rule of law in the country in future.

Meanwhile, he criticized the bureaucracy in the ministry and said it has to be removed as soon as possible.

Ghani implied that certain processes within the ministry need to be speeded up, particularly for families of martyred troops. "Afghanistan's troops are martyred in line of duty but government has not done anything for them - there needs to be a balance," he added.

Ghani said the government has assessed all contracts of the Interior Ministry and found there was no transparency in contracts under the previous government; however, he said they have tried to make contracts transparent and they have succeeded in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior Noorulhaq Olomi praised the security forces for their efforts to secure the country, saying that the building was funded by the U.S and cost $210 million USD.

He said the U.S has spent $20.5 billion USD over the past 14 years to help Afghanistan - especially in the security sector.

He went on to say that since 2001, Afghan police have been able to carry out their activities effectively because of the training and advice from the U.S.

He urged the president to make the MoI the center of rule of law in order to fight corruption and ensure citizens their rights.

The Interior Minister thanked the youth for their cooperation with the Afghan police over the past 14 years. (Tolonews)