A moment of great statesmanship: Kerry

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday hailed president-elect Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmedzai and runner-up Dr Abdullah, for their statesmanship after the two signed an agreement on a unity government.

“This was a moment of extraordinary statesmanship. These two men have put the people of Afghanistan first, and they’ve ensured that the first peaceful democratic transition in the history of their country begins with national unity,” Kerry said.

Noting the US remained determined to honour the Afghan people’s achievement by helping their transition succeed, Kerry said the inauguration of the new president, appointment of his chief executive and the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement and SOFA would open a new chapter in America’s partnership with Afghanistan.

“In the days to come, Afghanistan has an enormous opportunity to grow stronger from this recent moment of testing. Elections are not the end. They must be the beginning, where Afghanistan and its people move forward on a reform agenda and make improvements to the electoral process,” Kerry said.