News

On 8 July, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas received a delegation from Afghanistan’s Ghor Province, headed by Governor of the Province Sayed Mohammad Iqbal Munib. During the meeting, Minister V.Ušackas indicated that this year Afghanistan had to pass an important exam - the forthcoming presidential elections and elections to the provincial councils on 20 August. The Minister stressed the importance of free and general elections as well as their impact on further development of the country.

At the meeting, the security situation in the country, reconstruction and development projects in the Ghor Province were also discussed. The Minister of Foreign Affairs assured that Lithuania aimed at attracting the financial support of the international community and central administration to Ghor Province and invited the province to get actively involved into this process.

“Lithuania’s mission in Afghanistan is to assist the people of your country in reconstructing Afghanistan. The responsibility for the future of the Ghor Province and all Afghanistan is in the hands of the people of Afghanistan,” Minister V.Ušackas emphasized during the meeting.

The Governor of Ghor Province thanked the Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team for its efforts to help the local administration to guarantee security and stability in the Ghor Province, for the assistance in development of the province, for strengthening self-sufficiency of the administration and for enhancing the living conditions of people in the Ghor Province.

The participants of the meeting expressed satisfaction that this spring Japanese development cooperation experts started working in the Ghor Province. During this year in Ghor they intend to implement 20 projects that are worth 1 million U.S. dollars. The European Commission also allotted about 1 million euros for various projects of infrastructure.

Since 2005, Lithuania has led the Provincial Reconstruction Team in the Ghor Province. The team is comprised of military and civilian personnel not only from Lithuania, but also from the U.S.A., Japan, and the EU member states, Croatia, Ukraine, Denmark and Georgia. They assist the local administration to guarantee security in the Ghor Province and contribute to the development of the province through the implementation of projects in education, agriculture, health care, infrastructure development and other spheres: feasibility studies were prepared for reconstruction of Chagcharan airport,  reconstruction of the hospital, construction of Chagcharan Child Care Centre, and the project for reconstruction of Chagcharan’s streets is about to be started.