Afghanistan's parliamentarians broadly welcomed the signing of the Afghan-US strategic agreement Wednesday, but warned that Afghanistan would not sacrifice itself for the interests of other countries. Members of Parliament stressed that Afghanistan is an independent country and would sign such long-term agreements with any country as long as its illusory sovereignty and national interests were not violated.
"As other countries cannot sacrifice their interests for our country, we also can't do so," Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
's MP Ahmad Behzad said.
Kabul MP Shukria Barekzai said that the agreement, if implemented properly, would help Afghanistan to stabilise.
"I believe that if it's governed wisely and in accordance with the national interests of Afghanistan, it will without any doubt help keep Afghanistan stable," she said.
The MPs also called on the Afghan government to send the agreement to the Parliament for review as soon as possible.