|
Statements to the Press by PM and President
of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai
26/04/2010
Prime Minister: It is a great honour for me to welcome His
Excellency President Hamid Karzai to India on his first visit to
India after his re-election as President.
I have had extremely productive discussions with President Karzai.
We discussed a broad range of bilateral and regional issues of
mutual interest. We exchanged views on regional cooperation in the
context of forthcoming SAARC Summit and our common vision of freer
and more unfettered regional trade and transit. Greater economic
integration has the potential of transforming our region.
India and Afghanistan enjoy a strategic partnership based on unique
historical and civilizational bonds and shared goals. I conveyed to
President Karzai our deep admiration for his courageous leadership
in difficult times, and our support to the Government and people of
Afghanistan as they build a strong, peaceful, democratic and
prosperous Afghanistan. India believes that this process should be
led and owned by the Afghan people.
We reviewed the development partnership between our two countries.
India remains committed to assisting the Government and people of
Afghanistan in their efforts towards the reconstruction and
development of their country. I conveyed to the President that India
is ready to augment its assistance for capacity building and for
skills and human resources development to help strengthen public
institutions in Afghanistan.
We discussed the issue of terrorism, which threatens our region.
President Karzai assured me that the Government of Afghanistan will
take all possible measures for the security of Indians in
Afghanistan. We were of the view that the attacks of February 26,
2010 in Kabul were the handiwork of those who do not wish to see the
emergence of a strong, independent and pluralistic Afghanistan. I
conveyed to President Karzai that the perpetrators of such attacks
will not succeed in undermining India’s commitment to assist the
Afghan people.
I look forward to continuing to work together with President Karzai
for further enhancing our close cooperation. This is in the interest
of our two peoples and peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Thank you.
President of Afghanistan: Mr. Prime Minister, Ladies and
Gentlemen, I am honoured to be visiting India on my seventh-eighth
visit here this time, at the particularly kind invitation of Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and I
discussed the relation between the two countries in which I
expressed at the outset the sympathy and condolence of the Afghan
people at the cowardly attacks against Indian reconstruction workers
and medical staff and their Embassy in Kabul.
I also expressed to the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh
the gratitude of the Afghan people especially, particularly in the
past eight years, for the tremendous reconstruction assistance given
to the Afghan people by the people of India. Of significance in part
there, Ladies and Gentlemen, was the construction of a road from
Zaranj to Delaram and the extension of power lines from North to
Central Afghanistan and to the Capital of the country. Also very
important, for which I repeatedly thanked Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, was the granting of scholarships to over 1200 Afghan
students, boys and girls, to come and learn in India. India has
shown to be a strong partner of Afghanistan, for which, again we
express our gratitude.
The Prime Minister and I discussed the situation in Afghanistan, the
situation in the region and our common struggle against terrorism
and extremism. We discussed the upcoming Afghanistan peace
consultative Jirga which will comprise all the people of Afghanistan
from all walks of life to advise the Afghan Government on how to
move forward towards reintegration and reconciling of those elements
of the Taliban and others who have accepted the Afghan Constitution,
who are not part of Al Qaeda, and who would not be part of any
terrorist network. I have also requested the Prime Minister of India
Dr. Manmohan Singh to kindly send representatives to the follow-up
of the London Conference which will be held in Kabul, in the name of
a Kabul Conference so India can participate once again in
Afghanistan’s reconstruction and the provision of support to the
Afghan people.
We discussed a number of other issues of mutual significance that
corresponds to the two countries. I express once again Mr. Prime
Minister, my gratitude and thanks to you and to the people of India
for all that India has done for Afghanistan in the past eight years,
in keeping with the relation of friendship between the two
countries, as it ever was in our two histories.
Thank you.
New Delhi
April 26, 2010 |
