Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani calls on President of India Kovind

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi :  President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, called on the President of India Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 24, 2017. Welcoming the Afghan President to India,  President Kovind expressed admiration for the astute leadership that he has provided to Afghanistan through difficult times. He also commended President Ghani for strengthening bilateral relations between India and Afghanistan.

President Kovind said that for India, Afghanistan is not just a strategic partner, but a nation that evokes endearing affection. He recalled President Ghani’s speech at the Heart of Asia Summit in Amritsar in December 2016, and his visit to the Golden Temple. He added that civilisational links and people-to-people contacts provide a strong foundation to our ever-growing friendship, according to a PIB release.

President Koving said that in recent times, the two countries have deepened their strategic partnership. The India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show in New Delhi brought our businessmen together and generated business worth over US $ 200 million, he said. The President of India expressed happiness at the opening of the air freight corridor between Kandahar and Kabul and Delhi. He also noted that the Afghan cities of Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat have been connected directly by air to Delhi, according to the PIB release.

President Kovind said that securing sustained peace and security remain the key fundamentals in leading Afghanistan on the pathway of economic recovery and growth. Unfortunately, mindless and senseless violence is being imposed on the people of Afghanistan. President Kovind strongly condemned recent terror attacks in Afghanistan including in the provinces of Kabul, Kandahar, Ghazni and Paktia,that have resulted in over 200 innocent people being killed. The President said that India itself has been victim of state-sponsored, cross-border terrorism for decades.

“We can fully empathise with the ongoing quest of the Afghan people to secure peace. India believes that whatever initiatives are taken for bringing peace in Afghanistan should be Afghan-led and Afghan-controlled,” President Kovind said.