January 30, 2006 Address at London Conference Reception Hosted
by the Embassy of Afghanistan and Georgetown University
Ambassador Said T. Jawad
01/30/2006
Thank you very much, Stewart, for your kind words.
Excellencies,
Chairman Sigbatullah Mojaddedi,
Chariman Younus Qanooni,
Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah,
distinguished members of the Afghan Cabinet and Parliament,
Ambassadors,
officials of the governments of her Majesty and the United States
of America,
officials of the United Nations, NGOs,
members of the media,
and Afghan business leaders,
good evening..
It is my pleasure to welcome you to tonight’s
event, on the eve of the historic London Conference and the
unveiling of the Afghanistan Compact and the National Development
Strategy.
We are here to celebrate the significant achievements
of the Afghan government, in partnership with the international
community, for the past four years, as well as the reaffirmation
of our shared vision and commitment to strengthen security and
build a pluralistic and prosperous society in Afghanistan.
The Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington DC has
once again joined hands with Georgetown University to convene
this forum to provide an opportunity, to those friends of Afghanistan
who are here with us tonight, to exchange views and ideas with
the members of our government and the newly-elected Parliament
in a friendly and informal setting.
We enjoy an enduring partnership with Georgetown.
One of the core values of the University is to bring people
together. Our mission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the Embassy in Washington is to engage all governmental institutions,
private sector, academic institutions, and individuals to increase
awareness and further strengthen our friendship with the international
community.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Bonn Process, set forth the roadmap for rebuilding
our state and national institutions. We have successfully held
our Presidential and Parliamentary elections, adopted our new
constitution, built all national institutions, and achieved
significant economic growth with your assistance. Under the
leadership of President Karzai, we have come a long way, but
the journey has just started.
Now, with the execution of the Afghanistan Compact
and the launching of the National Development Strategy, we are
proving that the Afghan Government is not only committed, but
also acquiring significant capacity to deliver services.
We are grateful for the reaffirmation of the commitments
of the United States and the international community to work
with us to make our newly built institutions more efficient
and effective.
Now it is my privilege to introduce our Foreign
Minister, H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, to share his thoughts
about tomorrow’s historic event.
Thank you.
