Position Paper - Afghanistan - 2009 - UN General Assembly -

In early 2008, after suffering many crimes (not the least of which was an attempted genocide) at the hands of their Serbian masters, the Albanian Muslims in the Kosovo region banded together and declared independence. Obviously, an angered Serbia does not yet recognize a sovereign Kosovo, but many nations across the world do. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is proud to declare that we are among the countries that support Kosovo and recognize it as a nation separate from Serbia. Like the Muslim Kosovars, the people of Afghanistan have suffered much over the past several decades from oppressive rulers: the Soviet Union, the Taliban, and to a certain extent, the United States. The people of Afghanistan empathize with the plight of their fellow Muslims in Kosovo, and are willing to support them against any aggressors.
Although its independence is recognized by 63 countries, Kosovo is by no means secure as an independent country. Ever since the declaration of independence in February 2008, numerous Kosovo Serbs have committed violent acts of protest, mandating that the status of Kosovo be brought under debate. Like Kosovo, Afghanistan is a country ruled by a constitution that was created very recently, and understands the tribulations that that entails. As stated before, Afghanistan has pledged its support to Kosovo and recognizes it as a sovereign country independent of Serbia. Unfortunately, Afghanistan is also occupied with problems of its own at the moment, namely rebuilding its country after numerous invasions and wars, in addition to battling contemporary insurgencies from remaining elements of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. This means that Afghanistan’s ability to help Kosovo is limited, but it is willing to do as much as it can.
As a country that has been occupied by others for almost thirty years, Afghanistan empathizes with the Serbs who remain in Kosovo as a minority. At the same time, Afghanistan strongly believes that Kosovo has the right to sovereignty, and should not be forced back into the arms of Serbia. Afghanistan is a country where multiple ethnic groups live together, so it believes that the same can happen in Kosovo. There is no reason that Kosovan Serbs can’t live peacefully in with the Albanian majority. The only thing that is impossible is to once again subject Albanian Muslims to the rule of Serbians who have done nothing but harm them in the past.