TRT World Forum 2018 Debates Future of EU

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Oct. 03, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The former President of Afghanistan today delivered a critique on the United States’ track record on fighting terrorism in his country.

Hamid Karzai told the TRT World Forum in Istanbul: “America’s stated objective of defeating terrorism did not happen. It faltered. The consequences of that failure are tragic for the Afghan people.

“Massive human loss, 17 years on, every day we have people killed; just yesterday we had 26 people killed in Eastern Afghanistan in an election rally.

“In consequence, as well as the massive loss of life daily, we have the rise of terrorist and extremist groups. Now we have Al Qaeda, we have Daesh in Afghanistan which is turning out to be a menace for the region.”

The opening sessions of the TRT World Forum 2018, in Istanbul, also highlighted the impact of threats and upheavals, such as Brexit, the Greek financial crisis and the rise of populism as exemplified by the recent election in Italy, on the future of the European Union.

Former Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Franco Frattini said, “We see a huge gap between the narrative of Brussels that ‘everything is OK’ and the reality in my country.” He said that “austerity measures have prevented investment” and that “issues regarding immigration have been depicted as isolationist, in turn, giving an explanation for the recent election results.”

Referring to the UK referendum, Former Turkish Minister of EU Affairs, Volkan Bozkır said, “It was just one question, ‘shall we be in or out?’ and nobody actually understood what they would lose, how much it would cost and the prospects for the UK after leaving the EU.”

The TRT World Forum 2018, recognised as one of the most significant political events of the the year, started today in Istanbul with the theme “Envisioning Peace & Security in a Fragmented World.

For more information about the Forum, visit http://researchcentre.trtworld.com/forum/forum-2018

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