February 2015

NEWSLETTER

Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Tokyo

Afghan News 1 CONTENTS Ambassador’s Message 6 Embassy Activities 6 Culture Project 10 AFGHAN NEWS H.E. President Ghani Meets With The Hon. Mr. Yasushi Misawa

His Excellency President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani met with The Honorable Mr. Yasushi Misawa, Japan’s Deputy Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, at the Presidential Palace. During the meeting, H.E. President Ghani thanked the people and Govern- ment of Japan for their benevolent sup- port and cooperation in Afghanistan’s attempts for achieving sustainable and self-reliant development. The Hon. Mr. Misawa promised that the people and Government of Japan would continue to assist Afghanistan in the country’s efforts toward achieving self- sustaining socio-economic develop- ment.

Peace, economic development, good governance, accountability and transparency were de- scribed by H.E. President Ghani during the meeting as His and His Excellency Chief Executive Officer Dr. Abdullah Abdullah’s priorities and they are working fastidiously to implementing the changes and structural reforms necessary to achieve such outcomes.

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The Hon. Mr. Misawa praised H.E. President Ghani over the formation of the Government of National Unity and Afghanistan’s first ever democratic transition of power. The continuation of

Japan’s role as a world leader in spreading peace and democracy is vital for accomplishing the desired objectives of an international community enjoying the fruits of peaceful sustainable de- velopment.

While in Afghanistan, The Hon. Mr. Misawa also met with Afghan Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Mr. Salahuddin Rabbani, and congratulated Him on His appointment as the peo- ples’ democratically elected representative for Foreign Affairs and wished Him success includ- ing in furthering Afghanistan’s relations with Japan and other nations of the world. H.E. Minis- ter Rabbani expressed His gratitude for Japan’s assistance and close friendship with Afghanistan which has directly resulted in peace and access to services, such as health and education, in- creasing for the people of Afghanistan. H.E. Minister Mr. Rabbani said that Japan’s contribution and cooperation in enhancing sustainable development is a clear indication of Japan’s long term commitment and friendly relations with Afghanistan. In return, The Hon. Mr. Misawa assured that Japan would continue to support Afghanistan in the country’s process of completely trans- ferring socio-economic development and security responsibilities to the people of Afghanistan which will not only be for the benefit of the people of Afghanistan but also for the region and for the entire world.

H.E. CEO Dr. Abdullah Meets Human Rights Watch

His Excellency Chief Ex- ecutive Dr. Abdullah Abdul- lah met with representatives of Human Rights Watch, Mr. Phelim Kine and Ms. Patricia Gossman, Deputy Director for Asia and Chief Researcher for Afghanistan, respectively. Hosted at His office at the Sepidar Palace, H.E. CEO Dr. Abdullah welcomed the group’s con- tinuing activities in the country that help to ensure the ever increasing implementation of the country’s constitution in support of human rights. H.E. CEO Dr. Abdullah communicated that freedom of speech and a free and active media are one of Afghanistan’s proudest achievements during the previous thir- teen years and the Government of National Unity would ensure that such progress continues. Meeting and working with members of the community and civil society has been a common oc- currence for H.E. CEO Dr. Abdullah as the country’s leadership works fastidiously to imple- ment structural reforms to the nation’s institutions.

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H.E. President Ghani Attends Munich Security Conference

During an important speech at the Munich Secu- rity Conference in Germany, His Excellency President Ashraf Ghani emphasized the global na- ture of terrorism and stressed the importance for the international community to continue support- ing Afghanistan. H.E. President Ghani arrived in Germany on the 6th of February to attend the 51st round of the Munich Conference which was at- tended by around 400 world leaders, policy mak- ers, business executives and experts who are dis- cussing important security events facing the inter- national community. In His speech which was the closing event of the conference, H.E. President Ghani provided an inspirational message of the progress that Afghanistan has made over the previous thirteen years and also warned of the negative consequences that would occur if the international community forgot the people of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is currently in a critical transition period as the country takes on complete responsibility for its own security and has taken important political and economic steps forward on the path to future self reliance, despite the criminal acts of terror that are being perpetrated against the people of Afghanistan. H.E. President Ghani said that the people of Afghanistan are ready not just to open a new page but to start a new book in their lives and in the history of the country. The Afghan peoples’ gratitude for the many sacrifices and be- nevolent assistance and support were expressed.

As leader of the host country, German Chancellor Her Excellency Angela Merkel stated that a great deal of progress has occurred in Afghanistan, particularly in the areas of education, health care, media and the economy. H.E. Chancellor Merkel reiterated that everything must be done in order to preserve and further develop the great progress that has already been made.

H.E. President Ghani’s speech received international acclaim, particularly in the German press and excerpts of the speech have been included below.

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, Ambassador, Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

I am the elected President of a 99.9% Muslim country, a country where 38% of the electorate were women. On December 16th, 2014, our children playing volleyball were massacred in cold blood and when I called their parents, they told me they have the resolve of steel to stand up to the threats of terror, that they want peace, a peace to enable their children to go to school and be- come like me, pleased with the world, firmly anchored in our great civilization, and committed to equal rights.

We, ladies and gentlemen, speak for true Islam, for the beliefs of people and for the aspirations of the future generations. Daesh [ISIL], al-Qaida and the rest of the networks are the aberrations and we must have the courage to be able to speak for the absolute majority. Together, there is a 3 Newsletter, February 2015 substantial amount that we can do, but what is the nature of the threat? I would like to speak of the ecology of terror, terror has become a system in a distinctive ecology. And unfortunately, Af- ghanistan where our successes have made us not be headlines, because when will the media re- port on a success, is still the focal point of the media of this ecology. The threat of this ecology is global but Afghanistan is the meeting ground of this global ecology, lest we forget this and take our eyes elsewhere, there will be consequences.

This is not to say that we are not committed, the world does not owe us, we must first take the responsibility to reorganize and we are. The reform programs that we have embarked on are sub- stantial, focused, and their key goal is to honor the electorate. In terms of the idea, we have done what has been unprecedented, namely a victor in an election not claiming the prize, but forming a Government of National Unity so that all the electorate would be represented. Political consen- sus is the first basis of moving forward and we are moving forward.

Second, we have engaged the region. Our active diplomacy has brought a series of trilateral rela- tionships, the most significant of which has been China, United States and Afghanistan. Equally, our engagement with Pakistan has been intense, comprehensive and hopefully in quiet. We do not make announcements, we look for outcomes. And we are hopeful that there will be outcomes that will make results that will be game changers in our part of the world. We have engaged our Central Asian neighbors, and soon we will have witnessed the birth of the Lapis lazuli route, a route that would connect Afghanistan to Europe via Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Tur- key.

We have engaged all members of five circles of our foreign policy, and here particularly again I would like to thank the United States and the framework nations of Germany, Italy, Turkey, UK and other members who are contributing to the Resolute Support Mission.

But on the ecology of terror, our focus is country by country rather than on understanding the ecological system. Our response system is slow, because we really don’t understand networks. We take the threats individually rather than systemically. And it is very important not to isolate the events from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya from what is unfolding in Afghanistan and South Asia. Because the threats from the network perspective are becoming stronger, the state response is, unfortunately, weaker.

The key question is who finances the conflict and who benefits from it? It is not that the dis- course discursive part is unimportant, but without understanding the deep roots of financing. The global criminal economy is worth 1.7 trillion a year, and the criminalization of part of Afghani- stan’s economy is certainly among the top 20 contributors to this.

So, in terms of response, we need compacts for stability and prosperity and this must address four levels; one is at the national level. What enables terrorism to thrive and instability to prevail, is when the citizen is not in the center stage. The Afghan citizen does not live in the 16th century, 18th or 19th. She lives in the 21st century and aspirations of the 21st century. Her participation in the election must be honored by honoring the election and the democratic system and not dis- missing.

Of course, it is taking a long time for one of the poorest countries on earth to become fully stable, but the intention in the engagement of the citizen must be taken.

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Second, regional – in the region we have had a practice, where states, if provided sanctuary to non-state actors, and or where they have sponsored, where states have sponsored non-state actors deliberately to undermine the security of a neighbor. I hope that it becomes clear that those days are over.

Third, the Islamic level – there is a struggle for the soul of Islam, for who speaks for this great civilization, and we must not remain silent. Silence is no longer an option in face of the barbarity of killing the Jordanian soldier or the Japanese hostage or others.

And fourth is global – our global institutions are slow. They are product of mid 20th century, geared to response to conditions of the 20th century. Without a global architecture that responds to the conditions of 2015, we will always be not two steps behind, Mr. Alisa but ten steps behind. So we do hope that at the global level, we can reorient.

Based on that record, now the people of Afghanistan are ready, not to just open a new page, but to begin a new book, a book of cooperation, understanding and engagement. Our location, our water resources, our mineral resources, our entrepreneurial energies, all allow us to hope for a different day.

We hope that you will remain engaged, and committed and that we all together can participate in inclusive global order where we will all benefit.

Thank you! H.E. Foreign Minister Mr. Rabbani Speaks of the Tragic Passing of the Former Ambassador to Japan H.E. Mr. Amin

His Excellency Foreign Minister Mr. Salahuddin Rabbani has ex- pressed His great sadness that the passing of His Excellency Mr. Haron Amin (seen in photo below), after a brave battle with cancer at the young age of forty-seven. H.E. Mr. Amin was the former Ambas- sador to Japan from 2004 to 2009 and had a great impact in forming the warm and robust relations between Afghanistan and Japan that are enjoyed today.

H.E. Minister Mr. Rabbani said that H.E. Mr. Amin was a highly qualified and committed servant of the Afghan people, who exerted His utmost efforts to achieve the strengthening of Afghanistan’s in- terests at home and abroad and that His sudden departure from this life leaves an irreplaceable void.

His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Fatimie and all Diplomatic and local staff at the Embassy express our deepest commiserations and sympa- thies to the family of H.E. Mr. Amin.

H.E. Mr. Amin leaves behind His wife and children, and a mourning nation.

5 Newsletter, February 2015 AMBASSADOR’S MESSAGE

Dr. Sayed Mohammad Amin Fatimie My Dear Japanese Friends,

Two months have already passed since the start of the New Year. I sincerely hope that all your resolutions and hopes for the New Year will come to bear fruit. Spring is soon upon us, and I pray that the hearts of Japan and Af- ghanistan will be further lifted along with the warmer weather.

The Embassy of Afghanistan in Tokyo has seen excellent progress this month in its mission to reach out to the people of Japan. On February 4th and 18th, our Embassy held successful events open to the public to tell the stories of Afghanistan and the deep relations between our two countries. It was a great opportu- nity for myself and other diplomats of the embassy to directly interact with the people. I was most delighted when some participants told me that their images of Afghanistan had completely changed, from a war zone suffering from extremism and terrorism, to a dynamic country under- going significant changes with endless potential.

As you all know, Japan has been facing many difficulties and challenges. The people of Afghani- stan mourn Mr. Kenji Goto and Mr. Haruna Yukawa along with your nation. On behalf of Af- ghanistan, I condemn the atrocious murders by ISIL in the strongest language possible. Afghani- stan has also recently suffered a grave loss. His Excellency Mr. Haron Amin, former Ambassador to Japan, passed away this month after a brave fight with cancer, at the young age of forty-seven. Mr. Amin was a great blessing to our nation, and I cannot fathom words to express my profound grief.

The people of Afghanistan will always stand with our noble Japanese brothers and sisters, both in times of prosperity and hardship. The year 2015 is only in its beginning, and I pray that in the months to come, our two nations will be blessed with more success and progress.

EMBASSY ACTIVITIES

Dr. Fatimie Meets with Mayor of Kyoto

February 3, 2015: Ambassador Dr. Fatimie had the great pleasure to participate in a reception hosted by the Mayor of Kyoto City The Honorable Mr. Daisaku Kadokawa and with the Foreign Minister of Japan His Excellency Mr. Fumio Kishida who was in attendance and presented a speech. The reception was a showcase of some of Japan's most wondrous culture and charms which Ambassador Dr. Fatimie thoroughly enjoyed.

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Dr. Fatimie Participates in Red Cross Working Lunch February 10, 2015: The International Committee of the Red Cross has played a vital humanitar- ian and impartial role in bettering the lives of the people of Afghanistan and it was with a sense of great responsibility that Ambassador Dr. Fatimie participated in a working lunch at the Swiss Embassy which was hosted by the Swiss Ambassador His Excellency Mr. Urs Bucher in honor of the President of the ICRC, the esteemed Mr. Peter Maurer. Among a large group of high ranking officials, Ambassador Dr. Fatimie was the only invited Ambassador and, as the former Minister of Health of Afghanistan from 1993 to 1995 and again from 2004 to 2010 and having served in senior positions in the World Health Organization from 1992 to 2001, made important contribu- tions to the day's discussions. Dr. Fatimie Attends Japan-US Development Dialogue February 10, 2015: Ambassador Dr. Fatimie had the honor of being one of only a very few number of Ambassadors invited to the Japan- US Development Dialogue to discuss the best way forward for pro- viding Official Development Assistance. Hosted at the Embassy of the United States of America, Ambassador Dr. Fatimie actively met and held discussions with many esteemed participants including Her Excellency Ms. Caroline Kennedy, Excellency, Madam Sadako Ogata, former President of JICA and many other guests. Dr. Fatimie and Mayor of Kabul Meet With Vice Governor of Tokyo February 18, 2015: Ambassador Dr. Fatimie lead a distinguished delegation including Acting Mayor of Kabul His Excellency Mr. Ab- dul Ahad Wahid, Kabul Mayor's Office Chief of Staff Mr. Noor Ahamd Matin, Kabul Municipality City Planning and Implementa- tion Department Director Mr. Mohammad Yasin Niazy, and Kabul Municipality Team Leader of Land Readjustment Mr. Qiam Shen- wary to meet with the Vice-Governor of Tokyo The Honorable Mr. Nobuhiro Maeda. Ambassador Dr. Fatimie and H.E. Mayor Mr. Wa- hid expressed their deep gratitude for the ongoing assistance from Japan for Afghanistan's continuing socio-economic development. H.E. Mayor Mr. Wahid visited Japan to further strengthen the ties between the two countries. Dr. Fatimie and Mr. Karimi Visit MOFA Japan February 19, 2015: Ambassador Dr. Fatimie and Second Secretary Mr. Mohammad Yasir Karimi had the honor of meeting The Honor- able Mr. Yasashi Misawa, Deputy Director of Middle East and Africa Bureau and Japanese Special Representative to Afghanistan and Paki- stan, and The Honorable Mr. Takeshi Okubo, Deputy Director of Af- ghanistan Planning Cooperation division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. Bilateral interest issues were discussed, especially Mr. Misawa’s recent trip to Kabul during which He met with His Excel- lency President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, His Excellency Foreign Minister Mr. Salahuddin Rabbani, and national security advisers. The Japanese representatives reassured Japan’s continu- ing support to Afghanistan in its Realizing Self-Reliance Agenda presented at the London Con- ference. 7 Newsletter, February 2015

The Embassy of Afghanistan Holds Memorable Minato-ku World Carnival Embassy Events

February 4 and 18, 2015: The Embassy of Af- ghanistan took great pleasure in its Minato-ku World Carnival events on February 4th and 18th, welcoming respectively thirty-six and fifty-four es- teemed guests from the virtuous nation of Japan. Despite the chilly weather, inside the Embassy was cheerful as our honorable Japanese friends experi- encing the best of warm Afghan hospitality. The Embassy of Afghanistan would like to thank mem- bers of Minato-ku Council Mr. Takahiro Sasaki, Ms. Rumiko Aikawa and Ms. Yoshimi Sagawa, the ex- traordinary Mr. Takayuki Shimane and Mr. Naoshi Suzuki and each and every one of our guests for their kindness and enthusiastic participation which made the afternoons highly memorable cross- cultural community events.

On the February 18th event, filmed by Nippon Television for three hours and with two journalists from Mainichi Shimbun and one journalist from Yomiuri Shimbun in attendance, the afternoon started with an opening speech from Ambassador Dr. Fatimie. The Embassy was also honored to receive a short speech from Acting Mayor of Kabul His Excellency Mr. Abdul Ahad Wahidi.

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On each event, a thorough forty-five minute presentation titled "Afghanistan In My Heart" was given by the Embassy's Public Affairs Officer on Afghanistan and Afghan- Japan relations which was jokingly said that we hoped would result in our guests all be- coming Afghan experts. Following a short break to enjoy traditional Afghan snacks and sweats with Japanese tea and Afghan cardamom, a half-hour question and answer session was held with some of the Em- bassy's Diplomatic staff, including Minister Counsellor Mr. Abdul Ghafoor Poya Fary- abi, First Secretary and Consul Ms. Farima OryaKhil Afzali, Second Secretary Mr. Mohammad Yasir Karimi, and Third Secretary Mr. Sayed Ali Asghar Amiri, which provided a unique oppor- tunity to gain further insight into the history and daily realities in Afghanistan.

The crescendo of each afternoon was an impassioned speech by H.E. Ambassador Dr. Fatimie which articulated the warmth and importance of the close bonds of friendship that bind our two nations and which emphasized that, despite the differ- ences, there are more similarities than dif- ference shared between the benevolent people of Japan and Afghanistan.

The Embassy will be holding one more event on March 04. Please check the Embassy's homepage for further de- tails.

An additional event that the Embassy and the esteemed Japanese community will be involved in is the 2015 Afghan Kite Festival which will be held on March the 1st. This will be a wonderful cross-cultural event in which everyone in invited. We look forward to seeing you there.

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CULTURE PROJECT Afghan Wedding

Have you ever imagined how complex and unique marriage in Afghan culture is?

Marriage in traditional Afghan culture has a deep-rooted proc- ess which is taken step by step. Often men and women do not have an opportunity to first meet each other. Firstly, when a men wants to marry a woman who is from an unknown family, his parents do some background check about her, trying to know more about her morals, beauty and her family affairs. Generally it is common to marry kin, and the incident of unions between cousins can occur. Divorce is very rare. The second step is taken by the man’s parents who send a female family member or a relative to the lady’s house in order to disclose the proposal. The Official Engagement Shereny khory or namzady (Dari language for: engage- ment) is the first step to formalize the marriage. The groom's father, with some family and elders, go to the bride's home with bags of sweets and gifts for the to-be bride, some money and clothes as presents for family members. After the food is served, the groom's father for- mally unveils the purpose for their coming and puts the question as if the bride's father accepts his son as a ser- vant of him. At the time, a marriage contract is also re- quired. The two families negotiate the expenses of the union and decide on the trousseau, the bride expenses. If both sides are satisfied with the deal, a cube of qand (Dari for: lump sugar) is broken with the two families present and mixed up with sweets to be distributed in small bags among the participants. A formal statement called meher is included in the contract; specifying the monetary amount the groom will give the bride. There are two parts to the meher; a prompt due before the marriage is consummated and a deferred amount given to the bride throughout her life. Recently, it is more common to use rings as the prompt, because the groom present it during the ceremony. The bride and groom have to say “qabul” (I agree) tree times. Then, the couple and two male witness have to sign the contract; making the marriage legal in the civil and religious laws. 10 Newsletter, Febryary 2015

After the engagement, the groom’s family provides money to the groom to buy things such as clothes, carpets, dishes, and jewelry. The groom’s family also offers the monetary costs, the home, and expenses for the wedding party. One night before the wedding, a henna party is arranged. The groom’s family is who provides the henna. The henna party is very funny for the participants. The bride closes her right hand and does not let the groom put henna in her hand unless his mother presents or prom- ises her some valuable gift or if the groom can open her hand by force. The groom has to leave the room after he puts henna in the bride’s hand and ties it with a white clean cloth. The left henna is distributed among girls who are not married. The groom’s father provides all necessary things for the wedding day.

On the wedding day, according to tradition, the groom’s clothes are sent by the bride’s family. It is a white cloth made by at least two teenage boys of her family. Nevertheless, nowadays suits are also worn. The col- ors of the bride’s traditional clothes can be very colorful, depending on the bride’s choice and cultural background, but recently it is common to wear a white dress. On the wedding’s day, the groom and the bride are treated like a king and a queen. The official party is held in the groom’s house, where a large number of people are invited for lunch. The groom’s family serves people tea, water and fresh juice to receive the gests. However, it starts in the bride’s house; the groom is taken into the house where the bride is waiting for him in a decorated stage among a crowd of women and girls singing and dancing. In recent times, the ceremony is also held in hotels and private halls. The couple stay standing for a while, because it is believed that the one who sits first on the sofa will always be dominated by the other person. For this reason, sometimes couples sit together. Then, music is played and the couple exchange glasses of a typical Afghan dessert, called Sher- bet and Malida. The cake is cut and the couple eat it before the guests. The next step is going to the groom’s house. However, when the bride ar- rives, she does not get out from the car until she is promised some prop- erty from the groom’s family. Sometimes, a sheep is killed, because some people believe it means a good omen, and that the bride will stay with her husband forever. At the end of the party, the girls take the bride to her bedroom and the party ends. It is a three day party, including the day which the contract is signed, the henna party and the official wedding party, in which the bride is brought to her new home in a happy procession.

Embassy of Afghanistan in Tokyo

Address: 2-2-1 Azabudai, Minato ward, Tokyo, 106-0041

Tel: 03-5574-7611 / Fax: 03-5574-0195 11