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Welcome from the former Chair

Welcome to the website of the Delegation for relations with Afghanistan (D-AF)

The delegation is a standing body of the European Parliament created in 2009, which I have had the privilege of chairing since October 2014. The delegation holds inter-parliamentary meetings with the Afghan Wolesi Jirga (Lower House). Afghanistan is at a crucial crossroad in its history, in an increasingly unpredictable global environment with many challenges to come.

Against this background, the Delegation for relations with Afghanistan aims to keep the country high on the agenda and prevent any ''Afghanistan fatigue''. The Brussels Donors' Conference of 4-5 October 2016, in which the delegation participated as an observer, helped in this regard, and we welcome the outcome.

The delegation is convinced that Afghanistan deserves the EU's continuous political and financial support, and this is also in the EU's best interests. In return, the EU rightly expects that Afghanistan will deliver results in various policy fields. Much progress has already been achieved; nevertheless, a lot still needs to be done.

As a democratically directly elected body, the delegation believes that the European Parliament should accompany and scrutinise the EU's involvement in Afghanistan.

I look forward to continuing this meaningful work with my D-AF colleagues.

Petras Auštrevičius