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To bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan, 1.25 billion people of India will always be on your side: Modi
By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: President Ashraf Ghani and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Stor palace of foreign ministry through video conference on Monday, after reconstruction with the financial support of India.
“First of all let me express my most sincere appreciations to the government and people of India who have stood with us in happiness and sorrows,” Ghani said.
He called the inauguration of the palace a symbol of “Afghanistan diplomacy reconstructed by India”.
He stated that changes in the history had proved that those who build their relation based on friendship and mutual interest will notice another blooming tree in their friendly relations.
“We organize our relations with today’s world with freedom like other independent countries. We want to be a country committed in peace and security.”
Afghanistan and India both were standing together in different eras of history and cooperated for each freedom, prosperity and honor, he asserted.
“Our relations won’t be confined here, we will spare no efforts and protecting these from terrors and work for prosperity of our nations”, Ghani claimed.
President Ghani said that “finally the logic of diplomacy and negotiation must overcome the logic of terror and violence.”
He said that this is our historic job and responsibility to smooth the way for peaceful existence of our children, those leaders and politician, who think like this will always extend their hands for cooperation and open their arms for peace and reconciliation
Those who ignore the needs of time, don’t think of prosperity and use war instead of peace will defiantly face with historical regrets, he mentioned.
Afghanistan and India unlike some others have decided to make history with friendship and cooperation and manage the time with wisdom and knowledge, he said.
Indian prime minister speaking at the ceremony through a video conversation, called Afghanistan as India’s immediate neighbor, saying that Indians and Afghans have always been closest of friends.
“We once again come together to celebrate yet another achievement of our friendship and, take another step in the fruitful journey of our cooperation.”
Fewer things give greater joy than getting together with good friends to celebrate successful completion of joint initiatives. You and I have been fortunate to have done so on important occasions in the past months, he added.
“In December last year, you and the Afghan people stood with me to inaugurate the Afghan Parliament,” Modi said.
The inauguration signaled and showed our joint commitment to strengthening the foundations of modern Afghanistan. The India-Afghanistan-Iran transit corridor Agreement that we signed in May this year was another land mark in our partnership, he noted.
He said that it manifested our clear and common determination to build new pathways for Afghanistan’s economic progress and prosperity and, a month later, in June this year, we joined hands and inaugurated the Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam.
“Today’s video inauguration of the Stor palace is an entirely different, yet in many ways more fundamental, dimension of our engagement. I say this because it brings back to life a valuable landmark of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage.”
Modi said that the Stor palace has been the setting for many momentous historical events. To those who cannot see beyond shadows of violence in Afghanistan, the restored Stor palace is a reminder of the glory of Afghanistan’s rich traditions. And for our Afghan brothers and sisters, it revives the beauty, the richness and splendor of lost memories of Afghan society.
He elaborated that true to the foundations of our ties, it links the present of our friendship to the historical bonds of our linkages. I must commend all the artists, experts and consultants who worked day and night to accomplish this delicate task.
Indian prime minister insisted that “Afghanistan is a close friend. Our societies and people have had age old ties and links.
Therefore, saddens us to see that your proud nation continues to be challenged by externally sponsored instruments and entities of violence and terror, he asserted.
“Let me assure the people of Afghanistan to build a prosperous Afghanistan; and to bring peace, security and stability to your society; the 1.25 billion people of India will always be on your side.”
