Turkey Continues Its Assistance To Afghanistan

ANKARA/KABUL - Turkey continues to extend support to Afghanistan in fields of health, education, social rehabilitation, agricultural and animal husbandry within the scope of commitments it gave in the international arena.
Turkish Embassy in Kabul stated on Thursday that Turkey continued to fulfil its obligations within the scope of the commitments it gave during Tokyo Conference and in accordance with the principles of Bonn agreement.
Turkey which promised to give 5 million dollars to Afghanistan for a period of five years during Tokyo conference, also gives vocational training to Afghans since the beginning of Bonn process.
Noting that the Turkish government also provided scholarship to Afghan students, the Turkish Embassy stated that the amount of Turkey's aid to Afghanistan excluding military aid reached almost 4 million dollars since 2002.
Meanwhile the aid of Turkish military officials to Afghanistan also continues such as restoration of Shah-ý Shemsire Mosque, building and repairing six buildings for Afghan army and policemen and building children's parks in various regions of Kabul, and some other social and cultural projects.
Among military assistance, there was the construction of a new emergency unit for Kabul military hospital, repairing of the rehabilitation of the same hospital and giving training to Afghan soldiers both in Turkey and Afghanistan within the scope of the Military Education and Technical Cooperation Agreement.
Turkish Embassy also noted that Turkey, which went through a bad economic crises, continued to do its best to Afghanistan as it regarded assisting Afghanistan as an obligation. ''One of its reason is that solidarity with Afghanistan was inheritance of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who was a real friend of Afghanistan. The other reason is to respond back to the support extended by Afghan nation during the Turkish independence war,'' it was noted.
(ÖÞ-AÖ) 17.07.2003