March 23, 2015

H.E. Shaida Mohammad Abdali receives H.E. Tomasz Łukaszuk Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to New Delhi, this afternoon at the Embassy of Afghanistan.

Accompanied by some diplomats from the Polish Embassy in New Delhi, Ambassador Łukaszuk called upon Ambassador Abdali to discuss and exchange views on issues of interest and related to bilateral relations.

H.E. Shaida Mohammad Abdali met in his office with the President of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) Ms. Archana Garodia Gupta today.

Ms. Gupta accompanied by FLO Vice Chairperson Ms. Vavsi Bharat Ram called upon Ambassador Abdali to discuss the progress in the arrangements previously made between the Afghan mission in New Delhi and the organisation.

During the meeting, Ambassador Abdali was accompanied by the embassy’s Economic Counselor Mr. Syed Mujtaba Ahmadi and Press Secretary Mr. Zubair Juenda.

Ambassador Abdali welcoming the FLO President thanked her for organizing a fruitful event for the Afghan First Lady while she visited New Delhi early this year.

The two sides discussed and exchanged views on issues related to the areas of cooperation between the organization and Afghan women.

The Afghan mission and the said organization early this year discussed expanding relations between FLO and Afghan women.  Under the arrangements discussed FLO will assist Afghanistan’s relevant institutions in the area of women empowerment in socio-economic field and provide them with trainings as well as ground for education and skill development.

Ms. Gupta informed the Afghan Ambassador of the exhibitions called FLO Bazar due to take place in some major India cities, in which the organization consider to allot space stalls for a number of Afghan women.

The Afghan Ambassador thanking Ms. Gupta said that the embassy’s relevant section will follow up on the issue.

The FLO President also briefed the Afghan Ambassador on a SAARC Exhibition due to be held later this year, sharing their desire to extend invitation to the Afghan First Lady.

Both sides agreed that the mission and the organization will follow up on the issues and remain in regular contact.

As per the Initiative of the Economic Department of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi, the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 29 ^th April 2015 for establishing a joint chamber between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Republic of India, under the name of Afghanistan-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AICCI).

H.E. Shaida Mohammad Abdali received in his office representatives of two Delhi – Based hospitals to discuss concerns and solutions to the issues today.

As a part of a series of meetings with Delhi – based hospitals, Ambassador Abdali received representatives of Fortis Hospital and Max Healthcare to discuss issues of concern and exchange views on addressing them.

April 9, 2015

Ministry of Public Health of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BLK Hospital in New Delhi, today at the said hospital.

A delegation of four headed by H.E. Ferozudin Feroz Minister of Public Health met with the managing team of BLK Hospital and signed an MoU.

August 2, 2013

H.E. Wahidullah Shahrani Minister of Mines accompanied by H.E Ambassador Abdali met with Mr. Ashish Sonal, CEO of Orkash Company on August 2, 2013 at the Afghan Ambassador’s office.

In line with the bilateral Afghanistan- India economic cooperation, Minister Shahrani, while on a short private visit to India, received Mr. Sonal and Mr. Savoor to discuss and attract investment in Afghanistan’s mining sector.

Briefing the representatives of the companies on the investment opportunities H.E. Shahrani proposed setting a cement plant in a strategic location which would cater to the need of Afghanistan and other countries in the region for cement entailing job opportunities and skills.

A group of experts from Orkash Company will visit Afghanistan in the near future to discuss further in details the proposed opportunities.

April 9, 2015

H.E. Ferozudin Feroz Public Health Minister of Afghanistan attended a signing ceremony of an MoU between the country’s health authority and Artemis Hospitals today noon at the hospital.

At the initiative and as a result of long-begun efforts of the economic section of the Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi an MoU was signed between Afghanistan’s Public Health Ministry and Artemis Hospitals.

April 6, 2015

Mohammad Halim Deedar received a gold medal from the Indian Vice President for achieving highest CGPA in his computer science bachelor degree program.

Ambassador Abdali is accompanying Foreign Minister Dr. Zalmai Rassoul on an official visit to Sri Lanka on December 19-22, 2012. The Foreign Minister will sign two agreements with Sri Lankan authorities, one on economic, educational, scientific and technological cooperation, and one on cultural cooperation between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. In addition, Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul will meet Sri Lankan President, as well as Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Commerce, Culture, Justice, and Employment Promotion to initiate multifaceted bilateral relations between the two countries.

Following the visit of the Foreign Minister, Ambassador Abdali will present to the Sri Lankan President his credentials as non-resident Ambassador of Afghanistan to Sri Lanka .

January 12, 2015

H.E. Shaida Mohammad Abdali addressed a conference titled “Trade and Opportunities in Afghanistan” today in Gujarat.

Ambassador Abdali during his visit to Gujarat to participate at an international conference, Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 held under Prime Minister Modi’s economic initiatives, interacted with the state’s prominent business delegates.

The event was also attended by State Minister for Water, State Minister for Agriculture, State Minister for Agriculture of Telangana, Vice President of Iran and the country’s Ambassador to India.

The conference was held as an initiative taken by the Afghan Embassy’s Economic Section in coordination with the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Gujarat.

During the interaction, the Afghan Ambassador was accompanied by his Economic Counselor, Mr. Syed Mujtaba Ahmadi.

In his remarks Ambassador Abdali termed the relations between the two countries’ governments and peoples ‘valuable’.  He emphasized on the strengthening and integrating of the SAARC region.

Briefing the session on the visions and mandates of Afghanistan’s new National Unity Government, the Afghan Ambassador informed the participants that connectivity to alternative Chabahar and Lapis Lazuli routes are among the important decisions of the country’s new administration.

To encourage the participating delegates to engage in the available opportunities, the Afghan Ambassador briefed the session on the significant developments in the bilateral trade relations between the two countries.

He gave examples of including the instruments bilaterally signed with ’already-tangible-results’ in the context; favorable visa regime for traders and investors with 1 to 3 three year duration; the one-stop-shop registration service for businesses; investor incentive policies in particular areas; and the many areas of investment in the country.

Among the sectors available for investment, the Afghan Ambassador listed out health, mines, agriculture, food processing, packaging, infrastructure, energy, transport, aviation banking, textiles, renewable energy, cement, communication, education, and tourism.

The Ambassador’s remarks were followed by a Q &A session.

August 28, 2014

H.E. Shaida Mohammad Abdali attended a conference titled “Trade and Investment Opportunities In Afghanistan”, held on August 28 at Taj Krishna Hotel, Hyderabad.

The event was organized jointly by the Afghan Embassy’s economic section and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

On the dais the Afghan Ambassador was joined by the CII CEO Mr. Suresh Chitturi, Vice President of KEC International Ltd Mr. Rakesh Kumar Gaur and the Afghan Embassy’s Economic Counsellor Mr. S. Mujtaba Ahmadi who accompanied Ambassador Abdali during his visit to Andhra Pradesh.

The event was attended by some 70 prominent Indian traders and investors from sectors including mines, agriculture, energy, renewable energy, irrigation, health, education, communication, tourism, transport, aviation, textiles, banking, food processing, and packaging.

The CII Head, Mr. Chitturi in his inaugural remarks welcomed Ambassador Abdali to Hyderabad and recalled the historical trade that has existed between Afghanistan and India.  Highlighting the role of CII in strengthening Indo-Afghan economic cooperation he spoke about the vast investment opportunities in the country’s various sectors listing out the untapped mineral resources.

Mr. Kumar Gaur delivered a presentation on his company’s successful investment in Afghanistan’s infrastructure projects.  He briefed the participants on the investor- friendly environment, including the one-stop-shop registration process and incentive policies in place.

Subsequently, Ambassador Abdali made remarks in which he expressed contentment over his visit to the ‘beautiful’ city of Hyderabad thanking CII for organizing the event.  The Afghan Ambassador spoke about the investment opportunities in various sectors of Afghanistan, investor incentive policies, including the multiple entry visa issued for the Indian traders and investors, as well as increased trade potentials with the new transit route through Chabahar Port.

Ambassador Abdali recalled with appreciation India’s $100 million contribution in the capacity building and infrastructure of the Chabahar Port expressing hope that it will help connect the South Asia and Central Asia regions and significantly promote bilateral and cross regional trade.

The Afghan Ambassador added that with the new transit route and implementation of all the bilateral instruments the existing trade between the two countries will increase from the current volume of $600 million to $3 billion annually.

In his concluding remarks Ambassador Abdali once again encouraged the Indian traders and investors to engage in the various mentioned sectors and benefit from the opportunities available in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Ambassador’s remarks were followed by a Q & A session whereby the participants received detailed answers to their questions.

H.E. Shaida Mohammad Abdali Spoke at Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) on Friday, July 31, 2015 in New Delhi.

The Economic Section of the Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi in cooperation with FIEO held an interactive session titled “Doing business with Afghanistan”.

May 27, 2015

H.E. Shaida Mohammad Abdali received two high-grade Afghan students to appreciate their achievements today at his office.

As a part of the embassy’s constant endeavor to recognize, appreciate and encourage outstanding academic achievements of Afghan students, Ambassador Abdali received Ms. Sara Sahebzada and Mr. Abdullah who successfully completed with high grades their MA program in agriculture.

February 3, 2015

H.E. Shaida Mohammad Abdali received Mr. Roshan Lal Malhotra, linguist and writer in Pashto language, today morning in his office.

During this meeting the Afghan Ambassador was accompanied by the Embassy’s Press Secretary Mr. Zubair Juenda and the Head of the India- Afghanistan Foundation Mr. Safiullah Delawar.

Ambassador Abdali, welcoming Prof. Malhotra, expressed pleasure over meeting him and praised his ‘valuable’ contribution in Pashto literature.

Mr. Malhotra briefed Ambassador Abdali on his personal background relating to Pashto language and his writings, including those yet to be published.  He is the author of hundreds of writings, including novels, short stories, children’s stories, articles and a dictionary.

Ambassador Abdali appreciated Mr. Malhotra’s dedication in preserving and enriching Pashto literature, particularly in publishing a Pashto-Hindi Dictionary which contains learner-friendly features.

Awarding a certificate of appreciation to Mr. Malhotra Ambassador Abdali encouraged him to publish more writings for a wider range of readers of Pashto literature and pledged the embassy’s assistance to this end.

Ambassador Abdali attended an International Seminar on “Maulana Azad and His Legacy” as the Chief Guest, sharing the stage with some of India’s leading statesmen and scholars at the Maulana Azad Academy in New Delhi on February 21.

In his address to the seminar, Ambassador Abdali referred to the achievements of the Maulana and his multiple roles as a write, poet, educator, theologian and a shrewd diplomat. He said, “The Maulana understood and interpreted religion—as it is divinely intended—to be a guide for humanity to internalize timeless values as humanism, unity, tolerance, and co-existence and to lead a life infused with moral virtues, compassion towards one another, and self-restraint against harming others.”

Ambassador Abdali also spoke about how the Maulana used medium of education as a non-violent means to mobilize, organize, and prepare people towards achievement of institutionalized peace, freedom, pluralism, and democracy in the Subcontinent and said, “I am delighted to tell you that Afghanistan is one of the key beneficiaries of Maulana Azad’s legacy. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), which Maulana Azad founded, enables hundreds of Afghans each year to acquire education in different fields across India, which is directly strengthening the institutions of democracy, while fueling Afghanistan’s economic growth. ”

Ambassador Abdali also touched upon the Maulana’s utter rejection of using religion as an instrument of political power and not what it is—a value system meant for transformation of human soul and said, “The consequences of neglecting his legacy are clear in the twin problems of extremism and terrorism that unfortunately find institutional support in our region. Terrorist attacks in the name of religion continue to kill and maim dozens of innocent civilians in Afghanistan and the region. Indeed, this is a manifestation of what Maulana Azad had warned about to come, if Islam were used to promote political and strategic goals in the region. ”

April 24, 2015

H.E. Shaida Mohammad Abdali attends a seminar titled “Opportunities for cooperation in Services in South Asia” today at Pragati Maidan.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC).

December 1, 2014

H.E. Shaida Mohammad Abdali attended the inaugural session of a workshop organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) today at the SSWA, New Delhi.

The 3 day workshop aims at providing the complementary capacity within the country’s relevant institutions for smooth accession into WTO.

The workshop is attended by Afghan government officials and representatives of the country’s Chamber of commerce.

During the session the Afghan Ambassador was accompanied by the Embassy’s Economic Councilor Mr. Sayed Mujtaba Ahmadi and the Embassy’s Press Secretary Mr. Zubair Juenda.

Mr. Nagesh Kumar, Head of the South and South-West Asia Office of UNESCAP, making the welcoming remarks termed Afghanistan’s membership in WTO important, and appreciated Ambassador Abdali’s efforts in the context.

International Trade Centre (ITC) a Geneva based partner institution was represented by Ms. Charlotta Falenius, Associate Expert in Business and Trade Policy. Ms. Falenius spoke about the different workshops organized so far as well as the importance of the content of the current workshop.

Ambassador Abdali expressed contentment over the outcome of its accession negotiation.

“I am glad to hear that Afghanistan is at the final stage of its WTO accession process and will soon be a member of this organization, a truly long-due achievement for a highly economic potential country,” said Ambassador Abdali.

The Afghan Ambassador elaborated on the importance of Afghanistan’s WTO membership highlighting the end of the country’s transition process and upcoming transformation decade.  He briefly spoke about Afghanistan’s potentials both in connectivity and trade.

Ambassador Abdali reiterated Afghanistan’s commitment to regional and trans-regional trade and integration, giving example of the country’s compromise in realizing the CASA-1000 project as a step towards achieving regional vision for connected economies.

Calling the upcoming transformation process in the country as ‘the new chapter of trade and investment opportunities about to open’, Ambassador Abdali described Afghanistan’s accession into WTO as crucial not just for itself but for the entire region and beyond.

Concluding his remarks the Afghan Ambassador expressed hope that completion of the transition process will have included the accession process.

June 21, 2014

H.E. Shaida Mohd. Abdali attended two separate events organized by the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FKCCI) on June 21, 2014.

During the one day official visit to Bangalore, the Afghan Ambassador attended an interactive session on SAARC countries and later that day he attended the Exports Excellence Awards Ceremony.

During his visit to Bangalore Ambassador Abdali was accompanied by Mr. Ashraf Haidari, the Afghan Embassy’s DCM.

The interactive session was attended by the representatives of the SAARC countries’ diplomatic missions, business delegations of SAARC countries, and media.

Following the welcome remarks made by the FKCCI President Mr. R. Shiva Kumar, the Afghan Ambassador addressed the session.

In his remarks Ambassador Abdali thanked FKCCI for convening the forum to discuss an important topic, and providing the opportunity to discuss Afghanistan’s perspective on the potential the SAARC countries have for ‘much wider economic cooperation’ and prospective integration in the region.

The Afghan Ambassador expressed appreciation for the Indian Prime Minister’s firm commitment to revitalization of SAARC which he demonstrated at the very beginning of his tenure by inviting SAARC leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

The Afghan Ambassador spoke about the vast potential that the SAARC region holds.  He also added that there are countless opportunities in the region to unlock its potentials to restore sustainable security and ensure prosperity of every SAARC nation.

Ambassador Abdali maintained that the issue of security remains an obstacle to realization of the SAARC countries’ vision of easy movement of goods across the region.  Highlighting terrorism and radicalism utilized as an instrument in the region to destabilize Afghanistan, Ambassador Abdali noted the geo-strategic importance of Afghanistan.  On this note, he stressed that without stabilized Afghanistan the region could not deliver on its objectives.

“Given our central geo-economic location linking South Asia and Central Asia, we firmly believe that without a stabilized Afghanistan and normalization of relations between India and Pakistan, the core objectives of SAARC for economic cooperation would continue lacking serious implementation,” said the Afghan Ambassador.

Ambassador Abdali, however, shared optimism over the new Indian Government’s focus on SAARC and PM Nawaz Sharif’s pledge to work with his country’s near and extended neighbors towards achieving regional stability that could pave the way for result-oriented regional economic cooperation.

He also assured the participants that the new Afghan government will also pursue regional economic cooperation as a major pillar of the country’s foreign policy. Then the Afghan Ambassador briefed the session on the vast investment opportunities available in the country as well as the one-stop shop mechanisms and agencies established to ensure an investor friendly environment. He also briefly touched on the investor incentive policy and enacted laws to encourage and protect foreign investment in the country.  He recalled the signing of two MoUs recently signed by Afghanistan’s Export Promotion Agency and its Indian counterparts, and informed the participants that the implementation of these MoUs has already begun to fill the gaps that have existed in information sharing between the relevant agencies of the two countries.

Later that day, Ambassador Abdali participated in the Export Excellence Award Ceremony held by FKCCI.  Preceding the ceremony the Afghan Ambassador Abdali joined a number of Honorable Ministers and Chief Minister of Karnataka.

Among the speakers at this session were Ambassador Abdali, Honorable Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Mr. Ananth Kumar, Honorable Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation of India G.M. Siddeshwara, and Honorable Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The Afghan Ambassador’s remarks focused mainly on Business and Investment Environment in Afghanistan.  He briefed the session in details about the business environment and opportunities available in the country, including the laws which guarantee protection of investments.

In his interaction with Minister Ananth Kumar Ambassador Abdali proposed to prepare an MoU to be signed between the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers of India and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and irrigation of Afghanistan.

The two sides agreed that the economic section of the Embassy will work closely with the said Ministry in to prepare and finalise the MoU.

July 19, 2014

H.E. Shaida Mohammad Abdali attended events organized by Gujarat Technological University (GTU) today at the said institution.

During a one day visit to Gujarat, Ambassador Abdali attended a series of events, including a conclave, a seminar and an award ceremony held by GTU.

Ambassador Abdali was among the chief gests participating in the 2 ^nd Conclave of Afro-Asian Countries held by GTU.

The event was attended by members of diplomatic community and Vice Chancellors of 28 universities, including GTU’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Akshai Aggarwal.

As a part of its MBA program GTU has run study of different countries.  The MBA students last year studied 12 countries, including Afghanistan as a part of their programs.  Their studies covered political situation, culture, modern history, economic potentials and business opportunity of the given countries. The number of the countries studied at this institution is expected to rise to 110 in the upcoming academic year.

The Afghan Ambassador in his remarks, welcoming and appreciating the initiative taken by the institution, thanked the Indian government for delivering on its commitments to Afghanistan’s capacity-building through providing higher education to some 3000 Afghan students.   Underlining the potentials of Afghanistan, Ambassador Abdali maintained that Afghan youths need to be trained in technical fields, in which Indian institutions specialize.

“Afghan students need to obtain technical degrees in the fields in which your distinguished universities specialize,” said Ambassador Abdali addressing the vice chancellors present there.

He also encouraged partnerships between Afghan and Indian universities.

After the conclave, Ambassador Abdali met and interacted with MBA students studying Afghanistan as a part of their academic program.  He briefed them on the modern history of the country, including the political changes and where it stands in terms of the country’s potentials and its geo-strategic importance to the region and the world.

Then the Afghan Ambassador met with 35 Afghan students studying in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar and discussed issues related to their programs.  After his meeting with the Afghan students, Ambassador Abdali met with Prof. Patel Vice Chancellor of Gujarat University.  In this meeting the two sides discussed the issues raised by the students.  Mr. Patel assured Ambassador Abdali that the necessary measures will be taken to address the issues.

Later that day, the Ambassador attended the “7 ^th Seminar on Designing Structure of Technological University.”  The seminar involved presentations delivered by the Vice Chancellors of 27 universities on the achievements and outstanding works done by their institutions.

In the evening of that day, Ambassador Abdali attended CCI Technology Education Excellence Awards 2014, where he honored some of the awards to the awardees.

Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) held “India Medi-Tourism Meet 2015” today, at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi.

The theme of the event was “Promoting Brand India in Medical Tourism, Technological Integration and Skill Development”