Welcome to our e-newsletter Vol. 76 May 2010  


Joint Statement by H.E. President Hamid Karzai and H.E. President Barack Obama:

H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan and H.E. Barak Obama, President of the United States released a joint statement during President Karzai recent visit to the US. The two leaders engaged in a two day discussion alongside high-level officials from both countries, working together to advance the cooperation of mutual goals the two countries share. Security, strengthening governance, expanding economic opportunity and a forward-looking, long-term partnership were some of the key issues the two countries discussed. MORE...


Remarks by H.E. President Hamid Karzai and  H.E. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton :

H.E. President Hamid Karzai and H.E. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met earlier this month discussing the genuine but delicate progress in Afghanistan. President Karzai stated, “we have made immense progress in the absolutely essential areas of our life, from education, to health, to communication, to roads, to transportation, to the army, to the police, to the economy, to the growth of our national income, to the foreign reserves that we have nearly $4.4 billion today from only 180 million of seven years ago.MORE...


Afghanistan linked to global, regional security, says OSCE chairperson:

Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Zalmai Rassoul met with OSCE Chairperson-in-office, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev to discuss initiatives to strengthen Afghanistan’s borders with Central Asian states. Some of the key topics discussed were the development of the country’s law enforcement capacities, expanding the co-operation on combating drug trafficking, as well as the efforts of OSCE and the international community in support of Afghanistan. MORE...


Statement of Ambassador Said T. Jawad on the Fallen U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan:

Ambassador Jawad released a statement over the Memorial Day weekend reflecting on the losses of American servicemembers who served in Afghanistan. In the Ambassadors statement he said, “I will never forget a young soldier I met who had lost all four limbs. We are all indebted to him." During President Hamid Karzai recent trip to the US the Ambassador accompanied him to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Arlington National Cemetery to pay their respects to US service members.' MORE...

Afghanistan sees revolution with first ...

Afghanistan sees 'revolution' with first railway:

Afghanistan recently began its first railway project with help of a 165 million dollar grant from the Asian Development Bank. The track is being built by Uzbekistan’s state-owned rail company and will connect the Afghan city of Mazar-I-Sharif to the Uzbekistan border. The rail line is expected to be completed in September. This is just the first step in re-establishing Afghanistan status as a “silk road” trade hub. MORE...

Turkish and Afghan journalists met at a gathering hosted by the Medialog Platform on Thursday.

Hearing the call of an Afghan school in need:

Deputy Prime Minister of Culture and Information Rashid Mubariz recently traveled to Turkey praising the country for their commitment and assistance to education in Afghanistan. Mubariz urged the Turkish schools in Afghanistan to provide more educational opportunities to the Afghan people. There are currently 6 Afghan-Turkish schools in Afghanistan. Mubariz was also seeking more dialogue and training programs in Turkey for Afghan journalists. MORE...

Afghan Pomegranates Reach Europe:

The largest producer of pomegranate juice in the United Kingdom reached an agreement worth nearly 4.5 million dollars to import over 500 tons of pomegranate concentrate and 500 tons of fresh fruit from the Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Facility in Afghanistan. The processing facility currently employs 200 full-time jobs and receives fruit from over 50,000 Afghan farmers. MORE...


India to give Afghans lessons in horticulture:

The Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock recently sent a delegation of 15 officials to the Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture in India. The delegation spent two weeks learning about various horticulture techniques such as new approuches farming and skill development. The purpose of the visit is to help Afghanistan improve its productivity and produce new types of fruits and vegetable in order to stimulate the local government and economy. MORE...

File:Afghan agricultural workers in 2009.JPG

Six hundred young professionals to be recruited soon :

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Afghanistan plan to increase their staffing needs with 600 new jobs at all levels. The current acting director of human resources, Dr. Javid Qaem said, “many of the newly created posts are designed to attract and employ the new professional Afghan youth graduates.” MORE...

Afghan school brings music back:

The Afghanistan National Institute of Music held its formal opening this month. The music school is the first of its kind, with already 150 students. The school expects to have over 300 students in the near future. Students will learn about traditional Afghan and South Asian music as well as courses in English, math and history. The music schools hope is to one day establish Afghanistan’s first symphony orchestra. MORE...

Remembering the Sacrifices of the Afghan People :

Shaida M. Abdali, Deputy National Security Adviser to President Karzai and M. Ashraf Haidari, Political Counselor of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, DC wrote a joint commentary recalling the sacrifices of the Afghan people. They stressed the importance of not only placing an “Afghan face” but also having Afghans lead the effort in rebuilding their country. MORE...


In the News:

H.E. President Hamid Karzai arrived in the US this month to meet with H.E. President Barack Obama. President Karzai brought with him a delegation to convene and discuss issues with their US counterparts.

Ambassador Said T. Jawad released a statement over the Memorial Day holiday expressing his condolences and gratitude to the fallen US servicemembers that have served in Afghanistan. MORE...

Embassy in the News:

Ambassador Said T. Jawad spoke to VOA, Reuters and Ariana TV about the upcoming visit of H.E. President Hamid Karzai to the United States of America. The Ambassador spoke about the need to enhance the  dialoge between the two countries in order to strengthen the long-term strategic partnership Afghanistan and the United States of America share.
Mr. Haidari responded to an editorial piece in the New York Times this month about sending more army and police trainers for the Afghan forces. He also
wrote a commentary to EURASINET about the sacrifices of the Afghan people.
To read these and other articles and op-eds, please click Embassy in the News.

www.embassyofafghanistan.org

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