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Foreign Minister Spanta Meets Polish Counterpart in Warsaw

Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, today met with his Polish counterpart, Mr. Radoslaw Sikorski. The meeting the first of a series of official engagements scheduled for Foreign Minister during his official two-day visit to Warsaw.

The two sides discussed a range of issues, including Afghanistan-Poland bilateral relations; international efforts in Afghanistan and the situation in the region.

Foreign Minister Sikorski reiterated his government's continued commitment to Afghanistan for the coming years. He highlighted the recent decision of the Polish government to increase military and humanitarian aid for Afghanistan, noting that "the number of Polish soldiers serving in Afghanistan would increase to 2,200" in the coming months, which would make Poland "the sixth largest military contingent in Afghanistan."

Moreover, he expressed his government's readiness for additional assistance for Afghanistan, including the "construction of 4 kilometers of roads and support for radio-broadcast and television networks in Ghazni province." He also said his government would "contribute an additional one-million Euros to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) in 2009."
On his part, Foreign Minister Spanta expressed gratitude for Poland's role in Afghanistan, noting that "Polish soldiers continued to serve in one of the dangerous part of Afghanistan - in Ghazni province." He invited the Polish government to consider greater investment in building the capacity of officials of the Afghan Foreign Ministry, and, in that regard, raised the issue of "short-term study visits" by young Afghan diplomats in "Polish institutes."

Following their meeting, the Foreign Minister Spanta and the accompanying delegation attended an official lunch hosted by Foreign Minister Sikorski, which preceded the signing of Memorandum of Understanding by the two Foreign Ministers on bilateral cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two-countries.

The two-sides also took part in a Joint Press Conference at which they addressed the media on the outcome of their meeting. In his remarks, Foreign Minister Spanta highlighted Poland's contribution to Afghanistan's stabilization efforts. "Poland has been an essential part of the international effort to achieve a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. As we speak, your soldiers are serving to improve security in Ghazni province, within the framework of ISAF, said Foreign Minister Spanta.

He also invited his Polish counterpart to visit Kabul in the near future.

Prior to concluding his visit to Warsaw, Foreign Minister Spanta is scheduled to hold.

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