1 H.E. President Hamid Karzai convened on July 19th a special meeting to express the condolences and sympathies of the people of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the people of Palestine following devastat- ing attacks. The meeting was attended by H.E. First Vice President Younus Qanuni; H.E. Second Vice President Karim Khalili; H.E. Minister of Foreign Affairs Zarar Ahmad Osmani, H.E. Minister of Finance Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal; and H.E. Dr. Rangin Spanta, National Security Advisor. As a show of solidarity, at the meeting US$500,000 from the state budget was ap- proved to be sent as humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. Inside this issue: Latest News H.E. Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmadi co-chairs Senior Officials Meeting of Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process A Senior Officials Meeting of the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process was held in Bei- jing, China on July 10, 2014, with the par- ticipation of the 14 Heart of Asia Member Countries, 17 supporting countries, and 12 regional and international organizations. The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Dep- uty Foreign Minister Mr. Ershad Ahmadi of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the H.E. Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Liu Zhenmin of China. H.E. Mr. Liu praised the high voter turn- out in the recent Afghan presidential elec- tions and emphasized peace, stability, and national unity. He also expressed the im- (Continued on page 2) H.E. President Karzai, Government show solidarity with Palestinian people Presidential Election facts The second round of Afghanistan’s presiden- tial election was held on June 14th. In order to ensure a fair and trans- parent election, an audit of the votes is currently underway with an an- nouncement due in the near future. The election was marked by high voter turnout as evidenced by the following figures. 6,000+ voting stations opened 7 million+ total voters 38% of voters were women Newsletter Newsletter July July 2014 2014 News 1-3 Ambassador’s message 2
Transcript
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H.E. President Hamid Karzai convened on July 19th a special meeting to express the condolences and sympathies of the people of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the people of Palestine following devastat-ing attacks. The meeting was attended by H.E. First Vice President Younus Qanuni; H.E. Second Vice President Karim Khalili; H.E. Minister of Foreign Affairs Zarar Ahmad Osmani, H.E. Minister of Finance Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal; and H.E. Dr. Rangin Spanta, National Security Advisor. As a show of solidarity, at the meeting US$500,000 from the state budget was ap-proved to be sent as humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.
Inside this issue:
Latest News
H.E. Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmadi
co-chairs Senior Officials Meeting of
Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process A Senior Officials Meeting of the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process was held in Bei-jing, China on July 10, 2014, with the par-ticipation of the 14 Heart of Asia Member Countries, 17 supporting countries, and 12 regional and international organizations. The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Dep-uty Foreign Minister Mr. Ershad Ahmadi of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the H.E. Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Liu Zhenmin of China. H.E. Mr. Liu praised the high voter turn-out in the recent Afghan presidential elec-tions and emphasized peace, stability, and national unity. He also expressed the im-
(Continued on page 2)
H.E. President Karzai, Government show solidarity
with Palestinian people
Presidential
Election facts
The second round of Afghanistan’s presiden-tial election was held on June 14th. In order to ensure a fair and trans-parent election, an audit of the votes is currently underway with an an-nouncement due in the near future. The election was marked by high voter turnout as evidenced by the following figures. 6,000+ voting stations
opened
7 million+ total voters
38% of voters were
women
NewsletterNewsletter JulyJuly 20142014
News 1-3
Ambassador’s message
2
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Afghan News, November 1010
Ambassador Dr. Fatimie
attends Iftar reception hosted by
H.E. Prime Minister Abe
On July 16th, Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie attended an Iftar reception hosted by H.E. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The event was organized in order for H.E. the Prime Minister to recognize the customs of the representatives of the Islamic Missions to Japan dur-ing the holy month of Ramadan. Following H.E.’s welcoming re-marks, Ambassador Dr. Fatimie had the great honor of greeting H.E. the
Prime Minister, expressing praise for hosting such a thoughtful event and, on behalf of the people and the Govern-ment of the Islamic Republic of Af-ghanistan, expressed heartfelt gratitude for the visibly impactful results of Japa-nese cooperation in Afghanistan’s peace and development. The evening was attended by key guests both including key members of the Japanese government as well as Their Excellencies Ambassadors from nations of the Organization of the Is-lamic Conference (OIC). Within these dignified guests, Ambassador Dr. Fatimie was able to meet with Parlia-mentary Senior Vice-Minister for For-eign Affairs Nobuo Kishi; H.E. Senior Vice-Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura of the Cabinet Office; H.E. Vice-Minister for Internal Affairs and Communica-tions Tadahiko Ito; and H.E. Mr. Tsu-kasa Uemura, who serves as Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as Director-General of
(Continued on page 3)
portance of regional cooperation and support for the Istanbul Process. H.E. Mr. Ahmadi praised the national security forces for enabling very safe and secure elections and spoke of de-velopments in the election process. A joint press statement was released following the meeting which men-tioned stressed the importance of the successful conclusion of the presiden-tial election process and further added that “the Heart of Asia countries con-tinue to stand by the Afghan people and support a united, peaceful, sover-eign and prosperous Afghanistan that would continue to play a crucial role in regional security and prosperity.” A Heart of Asia Ministerial Confer-ence is going to be held in Tianjin, China on August 29th.
Newsletter, July 2014Newsletter, July 2014
Message from the AmbassadorMessage from the Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie
Dear Friends, Blessings of the Holy month of Ramadan to you. As you are reading this issue, Rama-dan has just concluded. It is a month celebrated in Afghanistan and by Muslims around the world. To those unfamiliar, it is maybe known for the fasting that we do during the day. The period is much more involved and much richer, indeed and involves key tenets of faith, brotherhood, sisterhood, sympathy, empathy, and purity. It is a time we spend with family and friends, and a time where we consider our fellow woman and man. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to join Iftar dinners, the meal held after the fast is broken each day, hosted key persons, including H.E. Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe, H.E. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy of the United States, and H.E. Ambassador Ahmet Bülent Meriç of Tur-key. Through these, we underlined that mutual respect of one another’s faiths is a reflected in our respect of each other’s great nations and noble populations. Reflecting on this central issue of sisterhood and brotherhood, this month we also continued progress towards the naming of our new president. It was proclaimed that a government of national unity would be formed. While our young democracy needs time to announce re-sults, we are ensured that the end will be an inclusive and representative govern-ment. As we enter the hot days of summer, thank you once again, dear readers, for the warmth of your friendship.
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Newsletter, July 2014Newsletter, July 2014
Faizabad, Badakhshan with support from the Afghan-German Coopera-tion. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 14th with the par-ticipation of the Department of Women Affairs in Badakhshan Prov-ince (DoWA); Hon. Dr. Shah Wali Allah Adib, the Governor of Badakhshan; Dr. Frank Pohl, BMZ Development Commissioner, repre-senting Germany; and other related individuals. The training center will provide education in various fields, including legal awareness, women’s rights, English, computer and man-agement skills, and healthcare. “The women’s market will give local busi-nesswomen opportunities to market their goods and services in Faiza-bad,” according to Wadsam. Work has begun on 4 irrigation pro-jects in Ghor province’s Dawlatyar, Lal, and Sar Jangal villages and the district of Feroz Koh. Through this, around 1,250 households will have access to potable water. Officials of the Green Factories As-sociation plan to build 316 industrial establishments in the Green Kabul zone of new Kabul town, in turn creating an estimated 30,000 new job opportunities. The association intends to attract domestic and inter-national investment in Kabul.
Transportation even easier in
Kabul Life Star, a private locally-based company, has began bus service in Kabul city on June 3rd. In has a fleet of 80 buses and provides employ-ment for some 200 people. Life Star’s chairman Mohammad Yusuf Mohmand plans to start similar ser-vices also in Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Herat.
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau. To each of these great gentlemen, Ambas-sador Dr. Fatimie also expressed Af-ghanistan’s sincere gratitude for Ja-pan’s support. H.E. Mr. Ito kindly stated that this support would continue hereon and H.E. Director General Ue-mura kindly expressed solidarity with Afghanistan.
Ambassador Dr. Fatimie meets with
DG Uemura of MoFA Japan Following their encounter at the previ-ous evening’s Iftar reception, on July 17th, Ambassador Dr. Fatimie was warmly received at the office of H.E. Director-General Uemura. This meet-ing provided an excellent opportunity for Ambassador Dr. Fatimie and H.E. Director General Uemura to discuss in greater depth issues of mutual interest. Ambassador Dr. Fatimie was also able to renew, on behalf of the people and the Government of the Islamic Repub-lic of Afghanistan, expressions of sin-cerest gratitude for Japan’s generous and life improving cooperation ex-tended to Afghanistan’s peace and de-velopment.
School buildings being constructed in
Roi-do-Aab
2 school buildings, each with 6 class-rooms, are to be built in Roi-do-Aab district of Samangan province. About 700 students will have better educa-tional environments as a result.
Agricultural exports increasing Onions from Afghanistan are very popular in India. Around 48 tons were sent to India in one day alone this month, with about 10-15 truck fulls arriving daily thereafter. 22.5 metric tons of pomegranates were exported from Kandahar prov-ince to Russia. It was the first ship-ment of Afghan pomegranates to the nation in decades. The shipment was supported by the United States Agency for International Develop-ment (USAID)
Development projects progressing
nationwide
On July 16th, the Ministry of Econ-omy and the Embassy of India in Kabul approved 57 project proposals under the Small Development Pro-jects (SDP) framework. The frame-work looks to strengthen rural com-munities in Afghanistan in socio-economic areas. 51 of the approved projects are related to the health sec-tor, including the construction of Ba-sic Health Clinics (BHCs) and Com-munity Health Clinics (CHCs) in 17 provinces. 4 projects involve the con-struction of schools in Badakshan, Nimroz and Paktika. 2 projects are agricultural undertakings in Kanda-har. A new women’s training center and women’s market are being built in
Embassy of Afghanistan in Tokyo 2-2-1 Azabudai, Minato ward, Tokyo, 106-0041
Tel: 03-5574-7611 / Fax: 03-5574-0195
Website
www.afghanembassyjp.org
Contact Us
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions regarding this newsletter or the Embassy, please send an e-mail to the embassy’s Public Affairs Officer, Jason Pratt:
Embassy of Afghanistan in Tokyo 2-2-1 Azabudai, Minato ward, Tokyo, 106-0041
Tel: 03-5574-7611 / Fax: 03-5574-0195
Website
www.afghanembassyjp.org
Contact Us
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions regarding this newsletter or the Embassy, please send an e-mail to the embassy’s Public Affairs Officer, Jason Pratt:
