Joint Statement
1. At the invitation of His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan paid a State Visit to Sri Lanka from 5 March to 7 March 2014 accompanied by a high powered delegation. This is the first State Visit to Sri Lanka undertaken by His Excellency President Hamid Karzai.
2. On Thursday 6 March, the two Leaders engaged in one-on-one discussions, which were followed by talks covering a range of bilateral issues as well as regional and multilateral matters of mutual interest.
3. His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa warmly welcomed His Excellency Hamid Karzai, and the delegation to Sri Lanka.
4. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa conveyed his deep admiration for the dynamic leadership H.E. President Hamid Karzai has provided to Afghanistan at a critical period in the country’s history. He particularly commended H.E. President Hamid Karzai for his concerted efforts in advancing peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa conveyed his good wishes for the peaceful conclusion of Afghanistan’s upcoming Presidential elections on April 5, 2014. He expressed confidence in the maturity and resilience of the Afghan people in meeting the ongoing challenges and hoped for the establishment of durable peace in the near future
5. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, elaborating on the post conflict developments, informed H.E. President Hamid Karzai on the implementation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) being the home grown mechanism established following the defeat of terrorism, the programme to transform the country into a trilingual society within the next 10 years and, the appointment of a three member Commission of Inquiry to investigate cases of alleged disappearances from 1990 – 2009 in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
6. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa briefed H.E. President Hamid Karzai on the expansive programmes that have been implemented in reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka. He highlighted the massive infrastructure programs implemented throughout the country and noted that targeted economic programmes have resulted in tangible peace dividends to the people of Sri Lanka.
7. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa voiced regret that despite Sri Lanka’s unparalleled, significant and expeditious progress in its post-conflict period, a section of the international community is adamant in penalizing Sri Lanka for eradicating terrorism and bringing about peace in the country. He further stated that an unprecedented and biased campaign is being orchestrated against Sri Lanka on alleged human rights abuses and emphasized that the people of Sri Lanka are not ready to be deprived of their hard-won freedom and have every desire to protect the peace and unity of the country.
8. His Excellency President Hamid Karzai thanked H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa for his warm welcome and kind hospitality extended to the Afghan delegation. He noted that while this is his first State Visit to Sri Lanka, both Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are regional partners that share traditional bonds of friendship, he expressed confidence that this visit will further strengthen the partnership between the two countries in the future.
9. H.E. President Hamid Karzai commended H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa for his dynamic leadership in bringing about peace, stability and economic prosperity to Sri Lanka. He observed that, since his visit to Sri Lanka in 2008, the peace dividend and the enormous progress made in the country is widely visible, adding that this is a result of mature leadership, vision and foresight. He stated that Afghanistan is committed to initiating a fully Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process and that Sri Lanka’s success in this realm is a source of inspiration for Afghanistan’s peace and reconciliation efforts.
10. His Excellency President Karzai briefed H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the political, security, and economic situation in Afghanistan, including the ongoing security transition in the country and the upcoming Presidential and Provincial Council elections. He re-iterated the Afghan government’s position on holding transparent and credible elections free from internal or external influences.
11. The two Leaders agreed that both countries could draw inspiration from their respective experiences in dealing with and emerging from conflict, particularly in overcoming the scourge of terrorism, and post-conflict development.
12. The two Leaders agreed that relations between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are based on mutual understanding, common cultural heritage and strong traditional bonds of friendship which both sides hoped to strengthen further. The two Leaders also expressed their desire to increase bilateral ties and intensify cooperation within regional and multilateral fora. Both sides acknowledged the importance of effective cooperation within the framework of SAARC for the benefit of the peoples of the region.
13. The two Leaders emphasized the need to further intensify efforts to reach concrete results in the following areas of (i) education & human resource development, (ii) health, manpower & employment, (iii) sports, cultural cooperation & exchange, (iv) agriculture, trade, commerce & investment and (v) defence.
14. In pursuance of this objective, it was agreed that, the Sri Lanka-Afghanistan Joint Commission established under the 2012 Agreement on Economic, Educational, Scientific and Technological Cooperation will be convened in the third quarter of 2014. It was further agreed that the Joint Commission be led at External/ Foreign Affairs Ministerial level and focus on issues pertaining to (i): education & human resource development, (ii) health, manpower & employment, (iii) sports, cultural cooperation & exchange, (iv) agriculture, and, (v) trade, commerce & investment. The two sides agreed to consider, through the Joint Commission process, enhancing Sri Lanka’s involvement in the Afghan economy through exports and widening opportunities for Sri Lankan companies in IT, infrastructure, construction, architectural and engineering services.
15. The following Agreements/ Memoranda of Understanding were signed during the visit
i. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on Cooperation in the Field of Education
ii. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for Cooperation in Training of Afghanistan Nurses in Sri Lanka
iii. Memorandum of Understanding in the field of Sports between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
iv. Agreement between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on the Employment of Sri Lankan Skilled and Professional Manpower in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
The two Leaders agreed that these four instruments provide important frameworks to enhance cooperation in the respective areas and noted the collective benefit that would accrue to the two countries through their effective implementation.
Defence
16. The two Leaders agreed to further enhance, on a mutually agreeable basis, cooperation in the field of defence. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa also conveyed Sri Lanka’s willingness to increase the number of scholarships offered at the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) from two to four placements, provide short-term training opportunities in the intelligence field and, on-field mine clearance. They also agreed to consider ways and means of facilitating and ensuring the full utilization of the scholarships offered by Sri Lanka, including at the Defence Services Command and Staff College and the KDU.
Trade, Economic and Commercial relations
17. The two Leaders emphasized the critical importance of enhancing the economic and commercial engagement between the two countries and agreed that the relevant Ministries and line agencies, Chambers of Commerce as well as the private sector should find ways and means to enhance the economic and commercial relationship. The two sides also agreed to consider concluding an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA).
Cultural Relations and Cooperation in the field of archaeological and artifact conservation
18. The two Leaders exchanged views on their shared cultural and historical heritage and emphasized the need for concrete action under the Cultural Cooperation Agreement signed between the two countries in 2012. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa conveyed Sri Lanka’s willingness to assist Afghanistan to enhance its capacity in this area, through training of Afghan personnel in the conservation of mural paintings and artifacts, on-site training in field archaeology; and, sharing expertise in heritage management, and pre and proto-historic archaeology through the Department of Archaeology and the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology (PGIAR) of the University of Kelaniya.
Cooperation in the field of Health
19. H.E. President Hamid Karzai expressed Afghanistan’s appreciation for the assistance that would accrue with the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Training of Afghan nurses in Sri Lanka. Implementation of this instrument would strengthen capacity building of nursing and healthcare in Afghanistan. The two Leaders further agreed to consider ways and means of expanding cooperation and providing wider assistance in the health sector.
Cooperation in the field of Education and Higher Education
20. H.E. President Hamid Karzai expressed Afghanistan’s appreciation for the advantages that would accrue with the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Education. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa informed H.E. President Hamid Karzai that Sri Lanka would be pleased to receive proposals under the said MoU for specific programmes to be implemented which will include opportunities for Master Trainers in Science, Mathematics and English at the National Institute of Education (NIE) as well as study visits for Afghan officials with respect to developing Education Networks and school infrastructure in rural communities.
21. Sri Lanka also offered 2 Presidential Scholarships for Postgraduate studies for Afghan students as well as a Scholarship in the field of Information Technology at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology for Afghan students to undertake studies in Sri Lanka on an annual basis. Sri Lanka also agreed to facilitate more placements for Afghan students in Sri Lankan Universities in the fields of engineering, medicine and agriculture.
Cooperation in the field of Sports
22. H.E. President Hamid Karzai expressed Afghanistan’s appreciation for the assistance that would accrue with the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding in the field of Sports. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that initiatives such as exchange of sports teams and administrators, coaching staff in football, golf or cricket and training of cricket umpires could be implemented in the foreseeable future. Additionally, the two Leaders noted the ongoing interactions between the Cricket Board of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on development of cricket in Afghanistan.
Co-operation in the field of Labour and Employment
23. H.E. President Hamid Karzai acknowledged the importance of harnessing resources and human capital available in Sri Lanka by widening opportunities for recruitment of skilled labour, technical experts and professionals from Sri Lanka. Both leaders underscored the importance of the framework agreement signed on the Employment of Sri Lankan Manpower in Afghanistan.
24. Having emphasized the importance of advancement of youth, the two sides agreed to extend cooperation in this area through youth related programmes such as leadership and personality development programmes, youth cultural exchanges, exposure programmes for youth parliamentarians, and need-based skills development programmes for youth.
Training of Election officers
25. On a request by H.E. President Hamid Karzai, H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa agreed that the Department of Elections would provide training of Afghan elections personnel in Sri Lanka by sharing knowledge and expertise particularly in conducting elections in conflict-affected areas.
Restoration of the Printing Press in Kabul
26. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa agreed to provide a Sri Lankan expert to assess and assist in the formulation of a project proposal for setting up of the government printing press in Kabul to be utilized for the printing of school text books and other educational material. Consideration will also be given for the said expert to lead the implementation of the project in Afghanistan. It was acknowledged that this project would immensely facilitate the distribution of much needed school text books to Afghan schools children and generally bolster the education system in Afghanistan.
Establishment of Diplomatic Missions in Kabul and Colombo
27. It was acknowledged that the decision to establish resident Missions in the respective capitals symbolizes the keen desire of both countries to graduate the bilateral relationship to an all encompassing, multifaceted one. The establishment of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Colombo on 29th October 2013 was warmly acknowledged. H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa confirmed that Sri Lanka would open its Embassy in Kabul shortly.
Exchange of plots of land in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan
28. Emphasizing the importance of the resident Missions having a permanent physical space in the respective capitals, the two Leaders agreed to exchange for the Missions, either on the basis of reciprocal exchange or purchase on non-commercial rates, the plots of land so identified for each respective diplomatic Mission.
Return Visit of H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa to Afghanistan
29. His Excellency President Hamid Karzai extended a warm invitation for H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa to undertake an early visit to Afghanistan. His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa graciously accepted the invitation.
During the visit, His Excellency President Hamid Karzai laid a wreath at the War Heroes Monument at Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte.
On Friday 7 March 2014 His Excellency President Hamid Karzai, concluded his State Visit to Sri Lanka.
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7 March 2014
Colombo
