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On July 24 in Kabul Lithuanian delegation led by Ambassador Gintė Damušytė, coordinator of Lithuania‘s assistance and projects in Afghanistan,  discussed political and practical issues of Afghanistan‘s reconstruction with EU Chief Representative in Afghanistan Francesc Vendrell . F.Vendrell pointed out that the attention for the remote and poor Ghor province is growing.

„And the European Commission has an intention to support civic projects of the Lithuanian province‘s restoration group (PRG) which are to promote permanent and cohesive development in Ghor“, – said F. Vendrell who has highly appreciated the work of the Lithuania- led PRG.

Ambassador G.Damušytė invited the delegation of EU experts and member states to visit Chaghcharan and to get acquainted closer with the situation in the province which is more complicated than in Kabul.

Lithuanian delegation consisting of MFA, NGOs and business representatives also continues working meetings with representatives of Afghanistan, International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF), European Commission (EC), states donors, international institutions and NGOs. Head of EC delegation in Afghanistan Karl Harbo briefed the Lithuanian delegation on EU supported sectors in Afghanistan and suggested the new head of the Lithuanian Special Mission, Ambassador Gediminas Šerkšnys establishing a Provisional Special Mission Representation in EC premises in Kabul.

During the meeting with the leadership of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) the Lithuanian delegation was informed that this autumn UNAMA is planning to open the Representation‘s subdivision in Chaghcharan. Representatives of all UN agencies will work there. The head of the delegation positively evaluated this information and expressed hope that it will enlist more NGOs and international projects to the province of Ghor.

During the working visit the Lithuanian delegation met with Afghanistan‘s Minister for Country Rehabilitation and Development Mohammad Ehsan Zia, Vice Minister of Health doc. Nadera Hayat Burhani, Vice Minister for Drug Control General Khodaidad, ISAF Chief NATO Civic Representative Hikmet Cetin, Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish, Japanese, United States and Canadian representatives, also with NGOs working in Afghanistan (ACBAR, Afghanaid, Aga Khan Foundation, Catholic Relief Services, Global Partners, International Organization for Migration, and others).

The delegation also participated in the meeting arranged by the province‘s Governor Shaho Abdul Ahada Afzali with members of the Afghanistan‘s Parliament elected in the province and the Council of the province comprised of local representatives of the country‘s ministries and officials of other Government structures.

In the province of Ghor the delegation got acquainted with the activities of the Lithuanian PRG, met with Chief of the third Lithuanian soldiers shift (PRG-3), Colonel Vilmas Šatas and head of the Special Mission, Ambassador  G.Šerkšnys.

Members of the delegation watched with the leadership of the province police the trainings of the Lithuania-led Afghanistan‘s police. They also discussed cooperation with representatives of NGOs, visited the city‘s hospital, which receives assistance from Lithuanian PRG medics on a regular basis, children‘s asylum and the girls school rebuilt by the funds of the US development agency USAID, which by shifts is attended by 1800 pupils who have no textbooks or other means of teaching.

During the working meetings possibilities of civic projects‘implementation were discussed. The Afghanistan’s officials highly evaluated the contribution of foreign donors including Lithuania into the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The infrastructure and administration of the state that for 30 years was at war is practically sustained by the assistance of the donors.

The delegation visiting Afghanistan will come back to Lithuania by the end of the week. The safety of the delegation was guaranteed by the PRG head V. Šatas and Lithuanian soldiers.

At the beginning of July the state‘s budget revised by the Lithuanian Seimas envisages 1 million litas for assistance projects for Afghanistan. From the start of its activities in Afghanistan Lithuania has already attracted to the province of Ghor about 25 million litas of assistance funds. Previously, Lithuania allotted to the province 140 thousand litas. The funds will be used for the training of municipality employees, improving of the province‘s health protection workers‘qualification and other projects.