KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani officially opened the 4th G7+ Ministerial meeting in Kabul on Wednesday and said Afghanistan has made enormous strides over the past 15 years with the help of the international community.
But he said stability in the country was the responsibility of government and that all Afghan leaders need to focus on reforms.
On the issue of corruption, Ghani said although government has condemned the scourge it has not taken enough practical steps to stamp it out.
He said that corruption and insecurity will hinder development in Afghanistan. As such he called on the nation to unite to fight corruption.
He also said all government leaders need to focus on reforms, adding that he can't "blame others for our situation".
Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani also addressed delegates and said that Afghanistan is working on its reform process and said one of the country's priorities was developing Afghanistan's infrastructure.
The two-day summit in Kabul, has drawn high-ranking delegates from g7+ countries along with some development partners.
The meeting will be an opportunity to review progress made since the previous Ministerial meeting held in Lome, Togo in 2014 and also agree on a strategic roadmap for the year 2016 -2017.
The themes of the meeting include discussions on peace and reconciliation efforts pursued in member countries, economic resilience and implementation of new deals among others.
Afghanistan is also expected to share an update on the report of fragility assessment which itself is an important milestone for Afghanistan in terms of New Deal implementation.
The g7+ comprises 20-member nations and was formed in response to a gap identified by conflict-affected states in the achievement of Millennium Development Goals and service delivery.
Having learned difficult lessons through the experience of conflict or disaster, and seeking to transition to the next stage of development, member nations recognized that conflict-affected states are best positioned to learn from one another.
To this end, on 10 April 2010 in Dili, Timor-Leste, the inaugural meeting of the g7+ was held, during which members expressed the will to establish the group as an international organization and continue meeting and sharing experiences.
The group's vision for peace building and state building was recognized and set out in the Dili Declaration (April 2010).
Today, the g7+ is building a strong and respected platform, working in conjunction with international development partners, the private sector, civil society, the media and people across countries, borders and regions to reform international engagement in development in member countries. (Tolonews)