Afghanistan and Brazil Sign Cooperation Agreement
Afghanistan’s non-resident Ambassador to Brazil Said T. Jawad and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim signed the Basic Agreement for Technical Cooperation between the Governments of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Brasilia on August 1, 2006. Afghanistan and Brazil initiated the signing of the Agreement based on the participation of Brazil in the London Donor Conference held from January 31 to February 1, 2006. At that time, Foreign Minister Amorim praised Afghanistan’s achievement of the Bonn Agreement objectives at the London Conference and pledged to help the country implement the goals of the Afghanistan Compact and the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), stating, “We are ready to offer our cooperation to Afghanistan, particularly in such areas as foreign trade monitoring, population census, agricultural research, de-mining and electoral assistance. Brazil has been implementing a range of policies and programs in the human rights area, such as gender and racial equality and the fight against hunger and poverty, which we are ready to share.”
President Hamid Karzai has expressed his appreciation for Brazil as the only South American nation to participate in the London Conference. “I am grateful that our partners in the international community, such as Brazil, took the opportunity of the London Conference to renew their commitment to supporting Afghanistan by joining us in the Compact,” the President wrote in a letter to Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. Foreign Minister Dr. Spanta extended an open invitation to his Brazilian counterpart Foreign Minister Celso Amorim to visit Kabul to further enhance bilateral relations. “I would also like to extend my gratitude for your Government in initiating the Basic Agreement on Technical Cooperation to assist Afghanistan in areas where Brazil has the expertise and resources,” Minister Spanta wrote his counterpart.
At the August 1 signing ceremony, Ambassador Jawad commented: “Brazil is a regional and global leader with vast resources. We welcome with deep appreciation Brazil’s participation in the long-term development of Afghanistan, and look forward to investment by Brazilian companies and reconstruction aid through the Agreement we signed today.” The Ambassador will meet with relevant Brazilian officials to initiate an exchange of delegations, implement new projects in accordance with the Afghanistan Compact and ANDS, and to discuss bilateral assistance in the following areas:
1. Conducting population census and training statisticians
2. Training counter-narcotics and border police
3. Technical assistance in hydro power generation
4. Mining and processing coal, minerals, precious and semi-precious stones
5. Agronomy and agribusiness
6. Building trade capacity
Afghanistan’s first indirect diplomatic relations with Brazil began in 1962. After a long interval, Ambassador Jawad presented his credentials to President Lula da Silva to reestablish diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Brazil in September 2004.
