There will be no "security gap" after foreign troops leave Afghanistan in 2014, the head of the government's Transition Coordination commission said Tuesday.
Chairman Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai added that he does not see the upcoming presidential election as a challenge but rather as an opportunity.
"Intensive consultation and empirical work done from outside reveals that the security situation is not deteriorating," he said at the 19th meeting of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCM) officials.
"Why am I bringing the story to your attention is because there is a prevailing perception that 2014 is going to be 1992. I want to categorically ask all of us to change our mental models: 2014 is going to be foundation of a decade of transformation. There is a national consensus in this country that we don't want to go back [to previous years]," Ghani said.
The United Nations special envoy Jan Kobish said at the meeting that Afghanistan's key challenges were corruption and drug smuggling.
"Corruption continues to be a major challenge affecting the lives of many Afghans, and strengthening justice sectors is fundamental to the overall governance agenda," he said.
"The elicit trafficking of narcotics continues to pose a threat to stability and sustainable livelihoods - the Ministry of Counter Narcotics must continue to be supported," he added.
Afghan Finance Minister said that the government is working on programs to monitor the spending of donor funds.
"Our aid management policy is being approved -- the policy will change the way aid is spent in Afghanistan," Minister Omar Zakhilwal said.
Meanwhile presidential senior advisor Hedayat Amin Arsala noted the need for good governance.
"As you know, good governance is basically the foundation of a successful transition of stability and sustainable development. Therefore it is important that all these governance measures are approved," he said.