In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,
Excellency Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
Excellencies heads of state and government,
Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is indeed a privilege to take part in this important
summit in the historic city of Delhi. May I convey the warm wishes of
the Afghan people to the leaders attending the 14th Summit of SAARC. Allow
me to thank Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the people of India for
the warm hospitality extended to us.
Today will be remembered as a landmark event as Afghanistan
assumes its place in the South Asian family. I wish to thank SAARC' s
member states and the SAARC Secretariat for supporting Afghanistan's accession.
Excellencies,
In the past five years important progress has taken place
in Afghanistan. As a result our country has come a long way. Our efforts
have mainly focused on ensuring political and economic stability and the
development of our infrastructure not only for us but for the benefit
of the region as well.
With the reconstruction of our national highway system,
for example, all Central Asian Capitals will be less than 32 hours from
the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, thereby, connecting Central Asia
to South Asia and Far East to Middle East - a market of literally half
of the world population and vast resources.
Afghanistan's trade with the regional countries such
as Iran, India, Pakistan, China and Turkey has already increased many-fold
since 2001.
Afghanistan has also currently absorbed closer to 80,000
skilled workers in the construction sector alone from the regional countries.
Moreover, the Afghan people are eager to learn from regional
experiences in many endeavors, including micro finance projects in Bangladesh,
rural development in India, and oil and gas exploration in Kazakhstan,
to name but a few examples.
To further create opportunities for learning and development,
and to facilitate Afghanistan's transition towards a regional facilitator
of trade and investment in Asia, we sponsored regional conferences in
Kabul and Delhi in December 2005 and in November of 2006 respectively,
and look forward to a third one in Islamabad later this year.
Afghanistan's development should be of great interest
to us all. Our vision for Afghanistan and its people is one where we act
as a conduit for growing regional trade.
Afghanistan's full membership in SAARC, therefore, presents
a valuable opportunity for increased interaction. It will maximize economic
benefits for the whole region. With this understanding, we have made regional
cooperation one of our highest policy priorities and have placed it at
the center of our National Development Strategy.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Afghanistan today presents a largely untapped market
for business and investing. We encourage and invite every investor to
come forward and take advantage of those enormous opportunities.
The benefits of Afghanistan membership of SAARC extend
both ways. For example, under SAFTA, the member states of SAARC will enjoy
preferential access to our trade and investment markets.
Our Government remains firmly committed to maintaining
an investor-friendly environment.
We will warmly welcome your businesses interested in
exploring opportunities for profitable investment in Afghanistan.
SAARC members will also have greater ease of access to
the Central and South Asian markets, and the regions' natural resources
which are crucial drivers of economic growth.
The Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan power trading project
underscores the virtues of regional economic linkages and I encourage
further cooperation of this nature.
Afghanistan's membership in SAARC will also expedite
North-South transit routes for nations beyond our immediate neighborhoods.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Stark lessons can be learnt from Afghanistan's political
and economic isolation. More than two decades of conflict resulting from
occupation and foreign interference inhibited economic and political development.
We all know what came next: terrorism and criminality
plagued Afghanistan with detrimental consequences for all of us.
Afghanistan's political and economic isolation must never
be repeated. Instead, enhanced economic cooperation must be pursued for
the sake of regional economic and political stability.
It is, therefore, our common duty to fight extremism
and terrorism in all forms and sources, including political sponsorship
and financing.
Should we collectively fail in this regard progress will
be hindered in the entire region, and our security will be compromised.
We will have therefore failed in our responsibility to impart prosperity
and security to our sons and daughters. Afghanistan, at a heavy price,
is playing its part in this struggle, and I'm sure our fellow SAARC members
will do their share to urgently address these menaces.
Excellencies,
Challenges must be overcome to realize the potential
of greater regional economic integration, especially the barriers that
inhibit the movement of people and goods between our countries.
Working towards transit and transport facilities under
the Regional Multi-Model Transportation System is a key priority for SAARC.
This will link the region's road, rail and ports systems. We must also
facilitate access to each other's airlines and airports.
Particular attention should also be directed to landlocked
members' transit rights; we must not allow narrowly defined interests
to trump the benefits of free-flowing trade in the region. Our collective
efforts are required for the successful implementation of the SAFTA Agreement.
Increased cooperation among member countries of SAARC
in meeting the rapidly growing energy needs of the region should also
be strengthened. In this connection, speeding up the process of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India
(TAPI) gas pipeline and its expansion to other SAARC member states should
be a priority for each of us here today.
Regional economic integration is also dependent upon
the capacity to create a regional enabling environment. The narcotics
trade is damaging to us all, encouraging lawlessness and criminality across
borders, and collectively undermining our rule of law.
I am happy that regional efforts are underway to stem
the flow of illegal substances and I urge regional actors to continue
in this regard.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Afghanistan seeks peaceful and prudent solutions to regional
and international issues. And it respects national sovereignty. Our foreign
policy relies on the multilateralism that SAARC represents.
I assure you that Afghanistan will maintain constructive
relations with each of its regional partners, and will work in cooperation
to further strengthen SAARC into an effective instrument for regional
prosperity.
We have a collective responsibility to build a better
future for the people of this region. We the Afghan people stand ready
to play our part.
Thank you very much.
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