As delivered by Chargé d’Affaires Gary Robbins
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
June 19, 2014
The United States congratulates the people of Afghanistan on the completion on Saturday, June 14, of the second round of voting in their historic presidential elections. These elections are a significant step forward on Afghanistan’s democratic path, and the courage and resolve of the Afghan people to make their voices heard is a testament to the importance of these elections to securing Afghanistan’s future. We commend the voters, electoral bodies, and security forces for their commitment to the democratic process. The work of the electoral commissions in the weeks ahead will be particularly important.
We are also appreciative of the work the ODIHR Election Support Team (EST) has done to assist Afghanistan to manage this election. We again thank Sweden and Denmark for providing the needed funding to allow the EST to remain in country until the second round of voting. We look forward to working with the next government chosen by the Afghan people. As President Obama said when he reaffirmed our continuing commitment to Afghanistan beyond 2014, while the future of Afghanistan must be decided by Afghans, the United States will support the Afghan people as they continue the hard work of building a democracy.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
