Closing Remarks by Minister of Foreign Affairs of I.R. H.E. Salahuddin Rabbani

Closing Remarks By

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan H.E. Salahuddin Rabbani At The Closing Session of The RECCA-VI Main Forum

Kabul, Afghanistan September 4, 2015

In the name of Almighty Allah, the most merciful

H.E. Chief Executive Dr. ,

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we have now reached the end of the Sixth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA-VI), the largest international gathering held here since the National Unity Government was voted into power last year, please allow me to convey my gratitude to all participants for their useful contributions throughout our discussions and deliberations, over the past two days in what has turned out to be a truly historic and successful Conference.

As you all know, our gathering took place at a time when Afghanistan is working diligently to overcome challenges of enormous magnitude, and to become a self-reliant nation, which controls her future destiny. The successful conclusion of RECCA VI, despite the prevailing security environment in the country, speaks volumes of the collective resolve of Afghanistan, and our regional and international partners to achieve lasting peace, stability and prosperity, indeed, not just in our country but throughout the region.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The National Unity Government has prioritized achieving a robust, and self-reliant economy as an essential precondition for our stability and prosperity. In this context, I can say with confidence that since its inception a decade ago, RECCA has played a helpful role in promoting greater economic cooperation between Afghanistan, and our regional countries.

We all can agree that RECCA VI was a truly remarkable event. We heard from multiple stakeholders: official delegations; the private sector; economic experts; and civil society on ways as to how to enhance economic cooperation among regional countries, As an over-arching strategic goal of RECCA-VI’s regional economic strategy let us continue to make progress on these bankable projects and emerging trade and transit corridors, all of which together have considerable potential for further profitably connecting – through Afghanistan – the people of Central, South, and South-West Asia and their key economic activities – including agriculture, light manufacturing, and energy and mineral extraction, with essential trade, transit, and energy enablers.

These include:

 The Lapis Lazuli Route that will connect Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan,

Georgia and ;

 The five Nation Railway Corridor, linking China and Iran through Afghanistan,

Tajikistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic; and

 The Chabahar Port, through which Afghanistan and India will be connected

through Iran.

Moreover, the CASA-1000 and TAPI projects, two landmark initiatives, which in fact came into being at the first RECCA meeting in 2005 here in , have now reached the implementation phase. As such, these projects illustrate what can be achieved by working together on mutual initiatives that serve our common interests. In that spirit, and as we move forward, it will be critically important that we spare no effort to fulfill the commitments we have made during this Conference, as well as in our future gatherings. Despite the positive momentum generated, we must remain clear-eyed about the challenges ahead. Therefore, we must continue to collaborate, synergize and expand our network of partnerships to implement various projects and initiatives, to which we have committed.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

RECCA VI was an opportune moment for all of us to look far into the horizon, and elevate our economic cooperation to new heights. By increasing trade and transit, strengthening regional connectivity and implementing our shared economic goals, we are actually investing in our own security, stability and prosperity.

I wish to reiterate my gratitude to all distinguished participants from various countries, institutions, agencies, private sector and civil society for your active engagement in this Conference. We look forward to our continued collaboration in the coming months, as well as to our next meeting in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, next year.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is time to offer a vote of thanks to the many fine organizations and individuals that have made RECCA-VI an unqualified success. Again ladies and gentlemen, a sincere thanks to His Excellency President Mohammad , His Excellency Chief of Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, and the entire Afghan government, beginning with the people that work for me in the Afghan Foreign Ministry.

We are further grateful to our distinguished colleagues: H.E. Sirodjdin Aslov, H.E. Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah, H.E. Nihat Zeybekci, H.E. Muhammetguly Muhammedov, H.E. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, H.E. Sartaj Aziz, and H.E. Arjun Thapa.

We extend our gratitude to them and their governments, and further to the numerous high level officials from a broad range of governments from our region, the wider region, and from around the world. Our sincere appreciation extends also to our friends in the private sector and the business leaders and investors whose attendance is vital.

As an over-arching strategic goal of RECCA-VI’s Regional Economic Strategy I would like to offer sincere thanks to all the international and regional organizations, international financial institutions, think tanks, academic institutions, commercial firms, and civil society organizations and their officials who attended and contributed greatly to the high level substantive discussions and far sighted working sessions of this conference.

I would like to recognize one of Afghanistan’s leading international investors, Mr. Abdul Rahman Alokozay, the chairman and owner of the Alokozay International Ltd. He is a generous philanthropist with a firm commitment to social corporate responsibility, which our Ministry is a beneficiary of. We are grateful to Mr. Alokozay for his patriotic contributions, and wish him the very best.

We are also thankful for the generous sponsorship of the following organizations: the Afghan Investment Support Agency, USAID, UNDP, and the UK Foreign Office. As well as our partners: the Hague Institute, UN-ESCAP, Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, IFC, and the ADB.

We consider you our most valued partners and thank you for your participation at this conference.

Thank you.