Ottawa – During a working visit by Afghanistan’s First Deputy Defence Minister to Ottawa on Monday, Canadian officials pledged to boost capacity building and educational assistances to Afghanistan.

Deputy Minister Dr. Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani, accompanied by Lt-Gen. Houmayen Fawzi, Assistant Minister of Defence for Personnel and Education, met with Mr. Ward Elcock, Deputy Minister of National Defence, Mr. David Mulroney, Associate Deputy Minister at Foreign Affairs Canada and Mr. Vincent Rigby, Assistant Deputy Minister of Defence for Policy.

He briefed them on the build up of the Afghan National Army and education needs of the Afghan defence establishment. The Afghan Deputy Minister informed his Canadian counterparts that the ANA, now standing at more than 50,000 trained personnel, is increasingly taking on security responsibilities across the country.

Dr. Nuristani expressed strong appreciation for Canada’s successful mission to help Afghans with security, development and governance as part of a wide-range of initiatives undertaken over the past six years.

He also expressed satisfaction for the close and effective relationship between Canadian and Afghan forces deployed in the South of the country. Expressing his sympathy, Dr. Nuristani told officials that Canadian sacrifices in Afghanistan are for “a valuable cause that will never be forgotten by Afghans.”

Accompanied by Omar Samad, Afghan Ambassador to Canada, the Afghan delegation also visited Kingston, Ontario, on Tuesday, where he was briefed about Canada’s military education and training programs at the Royal Military College, as part of a roundtable discussion on Afghan military capacity-building needs.