On December 9, President Ashraf Ghani addressed the eighth Ministerial conference of the “Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process” in Turkey and emphasized the need for a political solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and stressed the need for an international and regional consensus for peace, reports Tolo News. He said the main goal is to put an end to 40 years of violence by ensuring that not only the conflict ends but to secure guarantees for its non-repetition. “A political solution through an enduring peace process is an imperative but so is agreed-upon mechanisms for dealing with the threats of terrorism and criminality and narcotics,” Ghani said.