Political Counselor Haidari Discusses Canada's Assistance to Afghanistan
Political Counselor M. Ashraf Haidari discussed Canada’s assistance to Afghanistan with a group of students from University of Maryland and Georgetown University on June 26, 2008. His lecture was part of a seminar on "Politics of Canada," which focused on the country’s involvement in Afghanistan.
Haidari briefed the students on the many contributions Canada has made towards helping secure and rebuild Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. "Canada has been one of our key partners from the beginning, and we greatly appreciate the assistance the people of Canada have so far provided us, as well as their government’s balanced approach to peace building in Afghanistan," Haidari told the students.
Haidari noted that Canada had not only closely coordinated their civil and military aid efforts with the Afghan central and local institutions but also ensured that their assistance made maximum impact on its targeted beneficiaries. "Canada has channeled most of its aid resources through mechanisms, in which the Afghan government has a say to ensure aid effectiveness, such as the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund," added Haidari. He expressed appreciation for Canada’s participation in the recent Afghanistan Support Conference in Paris where the government of Canada generously pledged $600 million to help fund the Afghanistan National Development Strategy. Canada’s total assistance to Afghanistan amounts to $1.6 billion since 2001.
Moreover, Haidari noted that the government and people of Afghanistan understood the concern of many Canadians about the safety of their forces in the country. "Canadian forces are courageously fighting in southern Afghanistan to help us defend our shared values of freedom, democracy, and equal human rights. Without their sacrifices and those of other international forces in Afghanistan, we could hardly be where we’re today," said Haidari. He stressed, however, that consolidating Afghanistan’s gains towards sustainable freedom, democracy, and equal human rights was not an easy task for any single nation.
"As a united international community, we should exit Afghanistan only when the Afghan government and people firmly stand on our own feet and are fully able to defend the values we all share," Haidari noted. He appreciated Canada’s commitment to Afghanistan’s long-term reconstruction, noting the increase both in Canada’s security and development aid to Afghanistan over the past two years.
Related News:
Canada Needs to Keep Its Troops in Afghanistan (EurasiaNet, May 23, 2007)
Haidari Urges Canada to Remain in Afghanistan (McGill Tribune, March 11, 2008)
