UN chief pays surprise visit to Afghanistan

Kabul: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in the Afghanistan capital on a surprise visit on Wednesday, the UN office in the country said.

“UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Kabul today and was welcomed by Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan,” the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement.

“Secretary General Guterres’s visit signals the UN’s solidarity with the Afghan people and our commitment to staying the course at a time when Afghanistan is facing many challenges,” Yamamoto was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying.

The UN is determined to support an Afghan-led peace process, protecting the country’s most vulnerable and disenfranchised communities and seeking to help ensure a stable and prosperous future for all Afghans, the statement added.