President Karzai Receives the Indira Gandhi Peace Award
On November 19 President Hamid Karzai was awarded the Indira Gandhi Peace Award by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, President of the Republic of India, during a special ceremony coinciding with the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference in India. The Indira Gandhi Peace Award is an annual award bestowed by the Religious Society of Friends-affiliated organization Promoting Enduring Peace for "contributions made in the promotion of international peace and good will and it is named in honor of Mahatma Gandhi.”
During his official visit to India, the President held meetings with President Kalam, Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, and Sonia Gandhi, Leader of India’s Congress Party, to discuss bilateral relations, the security situation in the region, and other issues of mutual interest.
"Afghanistan's stability is an asset for the region, whereas an unstable Afghanistan will undoubtedly put the vision of a peaceful and prosperous region in jeopardy...We in Afghanistan firmly believe in such a vision and we will work with you towards achieving it. We will spare no effort to restore Afghanistan's historical role as a land-bridge connecting the surrounding regions," said President Hamid Karzai in the conferences's inaugural speech in New Delhi.
The President was accompanied on this trip by Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Zalmai Rasoul, National Security Advisor, Muhammad Ismail, Minister of Water and Energy, Obaidullah Ramin, Minister of Agriculture, Muhammad Ishaq Naderi, Advisor to the President on Economics, and Jawed Ludin, Chief of Staff to the President.
