Meeting Afghan Ambassador to China on election day

Host(H): Hello, and welcome to China Daily top interview. I'm Sally Zhang in Beijing.

Today, our guest is H.E Sultan A Baheen, the Afghan Ambassador to China.

Welcome to China Daily on such a special day, ambassador!

Ambassador(A): Thank you very much! Thank you for inviting me!

H: By referring to being a special day, I mean, the Afghanistan government is actually running the election - presidential election - today. So what have surprised you and concerned you on the road leading up to the election?

A: Actually this is a very important day for us. I think it surprised everybody how determined the Afghan people are after this all long problems and difficulties, never mind who to elect (to be) their leader for the next five years. But for sure, the security challenge is a concern, for me, for my country, for my people and the government. The government of Afghanistan, with the support of the international community, provided security for all polling stations. And I hope that we will have a smooth, fair and justice, transparent election today.

H: As far as I know, there are some 30 candidates (running) for this position. Then, I'd like to ask what's your vote? Who would you vote for?

A: It's a pity that due to technical problems, all Afghans abroad cannot vote. Just Afghans inside Afghanistan can vote. But my heart is with my people on this day.

H: And then I'd like to follow up the question. What would you expect the president, the new president, should do to make Afghanistan a better place?

A: You know the process of Afghanistan is in the process of state building. This is a long process. For sure, this election, like the previous one - and better than the previous - is strengthening government institution, national institution and democracy in my government. The new government will serve better than the previous one. This is the expectation of the people; and this is the responsibility of my government after the election.

H: So relating to the situation now in Afghanistan, what would be the most urgent issues to be addressed?

A: The most urgent issue is the security and also the livelihood of the people. So the new government should focus (on) these two very important issues. We are happy that international community supported Afghanistan, and also (about) the strength and the increasing number of our national forces in our national police to serve the country. And also we prioritize some fields of economy in the construction of Afghanistan, like more energy, agriculture and transport, and, for sure, the basic needs of the people - health and education - like these.

H: You just talk about the international community. So I'd like to bring up the issue of the US. So, in general, what do the Afghan people feel about the US troops in Afghanistan?

A: Everybody knows that Afghans are very freedom-loving people. We fight many time(s) for our freedom, many many time(s). We, the Afghans remember, and still remember, the tyranny and oppression by the Taliban regime and the invaders and their supporters. So Afghans still see the international forces and the Americans as liberation forces. Probably, as a freedom-loving people, if you ask Afghans "do you want the international forces, foreign forces in Afghanistan?", maybe the majority say "no". But today, if you say "(do) you want the American and other forces to go out from the country for sure?", the majority - almost all Afghans - say "no", because we remember the tyranny of Taliban.