Ottawa – Dr. Ishaq Nadiri, Senior Advisor for Economic Affairs to the President of Afghanistan visited Ottawa on July 21 to discuss bilateral economic and Afghan development issues with Canadian officials.

Accompanied by Omar Samad, the Afghan Ambassador and Embassy Counselor, Mr. Mehrabodin Masstan, the Senior Advisor met with Mr. James Fox, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister at Foreign Affairs Canada. Among other topics, the two sides discussed the impact of security threats on reconstruction.

During a working lunch session hosted by H.E. V. Peter Harder, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Dr. Nadiri thanked Canada for its substantial contributions in the fields of security, development, governance, rule of law, demining and others. Officials from the Department of National Defence and CIDA were also present.

The two sides discussed the work of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board of the Afghanistan Compact, Afghanistan’s plans for rural and urban development, agricultural and infrastructure priorities, the fight against narcotics and capacity building initiatives that require the continued aid of the donor community.

Dr. Nadiri also met separately with Mr. Hau Sing Tse, Vice President for Asia at CIDA, and discussed Canada’s role in Afghanistan’s economic development in detail. The two sides agreed to continue to address priority issues and seek pragmatic solutions through dialogue and implementation of projects to improve economic conditions.

Embassy of Afghanistan

July, 24, 2006