Afghan president pledges to bring peace, stability, prosperity

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has emphasized that the newly formed government, elected by the people, is obliged to bring peace, stability and prosperity to the people across the country.

"Our young people are seeking employment, our women want the right to education, people with disabilities need care," Ghani said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua prior to his first official visit to China on Monday.

"This is a society that has suffered deep drama in the last 36 years, and we want to make sure that we become the healers to heal our society," he said.

When asked about the priority of his work among security, good governance and economy, the president said, "you have to go simultaneously, so it is the question of dividing time. I spend 30 percent of my time on security, 30 percent on economy, and the rest on good governance and rule of law. You cannot walk on one leg."

Commenting on the British forces' flag-down ceremony on Sunday and other foreign troops' gradually retreating from Afghanistan, Ghani said, "we have been grateful to the British and our allies for having served in Afghanistan, but the duty of defending Afghanistan, and securing it, is sole ours."

"There were very few people who believed that the security transition would work, nor the political transition. But we have shown that our armed forces are capable, able to assume responsibility. One hundred percent operations are being carried out by Afghan forces now," Ghani added.

"We have an all volunteer army and an all volunteer police, which shows that people are not forced to become soldiers or policemen. They volunteered. The sense of patriotism in our country is very strong."

The president, who once served as head of Kabul University, still pays much attention to education for the young people of the country.

"If you want one-year yield, grow wheat. If you want five-year yield, plant fruit trees. If you want 50-year yield, educate your son and daughter," he said.

"I see myself very much as a bridge, as catalyst for empowerment of the young people, because they are absolutely the majority of the country," the 65-year-old president added.

"Once the Afghan creativity is unleashed, we will be hopefully able to do what China did after your great leader Deng Xiaoping unleashed China's creativity," he said.