U.S. Department of State Hosts Afghan Diplomat Training Program

September 9, 2015

Ambassador Mohib joined Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ambassador Cui Tiankai of the People's Republic of China, and Deputy Special Representative Jarrett Blanc for a reception at the Department of State in honor of a delegation of Afghan diplomats visiting from Kabul. The Afghan diplomats are in Washington, DC to participate in a training program sponsored by the United States and People's Republic of China to help boost the new Afghan diplomatic corps.

Deputy Secretary Antony Blinken hailed the class of new diplomats as "an extraordinary class drawn from the extraordinary wealth of Afghanistan's diversity" and said the program has "helped to lay the groundwork for the U.S. and China to work together toward a stable, secure, prosperous, and unified Afghanistan. Today, our collaboration in Afghanistan stretches from women’s empowerment to sustainable development to new training programs for Afghan medical workers and veterinary technicians."

Ambassador Tiankai said "China hopes to see a United, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan that is at peace with its neighbors."

The training program represents a unique opportunity for regional and international cooperation. Ambassador Mohib noted that the partnership "is also representative of the role Afghanistan plays in bringing nations together for the advancement of common interests—for thousands of years, Afghanistan has been a crossroads of trade, commerce and cultural exchange. We continue to be a hub where the interests of Afghanistan and our global partners intersect and overlap."