June 6, 2012 (TSR) – Afghanistan is extremely grateful that China has been a steady partner for the country in providing fundamental support during its process of seeking stabilization and progress, said Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Beijing on Wednesday.
When delivering a speech on Afghanistan’s foreign policies at the China Foreign Affairs University, Karzai thanked China for being the biggest investor in his country while helping his homeland in lots of other ways.
“The relations we have with the world are among the strongest Afghanistan has ever had,” said the president.
Afghanistan has broad relationships not only with its neighbors, but also with Europe and the United States, as the country has signed strategic partnership agreements with many countries including Germany, the United States, Australia and India, said Karzai.
His country is happy in keeping a good equilibrium of understanding and contact, Karzai added.
In particular, being the second largest economy in the world and a neighbor of Afghanistan, China “is high on our agenda” in terms of relationships.
According to Karzai, a memorandum of understanding and a statement between China and Afghanistan will be signed during his visit in China for the creation of a strategic bilateral partnership.
Karzai told the students, “Keep in mind China’s expanding role in the world. The burden falls on your shoulders as the next leaders of China to see that the world is more harmonious, more peaceful and more prosperous than it is today.”
Speaking of how the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) can contribute to regional security and world peace, Karzai said the body has a very important role to play by way of facilitating exchanges between the countries and organizing security cooperation against terrorism and radicalism.
“In particular, this organization will be a vehicle for preventing negative intervention and turning that into positive cooperation,” said Karzai, adding that Afghanistan would be happy to be in the council if the country can be accepted as an observer state to the regional organization.
Source: Xinhua
