Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan
RECCA
Speeches & Presentations

Speeches & Presentations

The Sixth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan
Program Agenda & Speeches

Day I – RECCA Working Group Meetings
3 September 2015, Kabul

  • Welcome Address by H.E. Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Here
  • Keynote Speech by H.E. Abdul Satar Murad, Minister of Economy, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Here


First Working Group Session
Regional Energy & Natural Resource Cooperation

Speakers:

  • Mir Ahmad Javaid Sadat, Deputy Minister of Policy, Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of Afghanistan – IPP of Mazar and role of private sector. Here
  • Hameed Quraishi, Operations Officer, Energy and Extractives, The World Bank – Central Asia-South Asia Power Transmission Project CASA-1000. Here
  • Serdar Periyev, Director, Ministry of Oil and Gaz Industries and Natural Resources of Turkmenistan – The new phase of TAPI. Here
  • Abdul Razaq Samadi, General Director of  De Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat. Here
  • Kazakhstan – Islamic Organization for Food Security. Here


Second Working Group Session
Regional Connectivity

Speakers:

  • Yamma Shams, Afghanistan – Afghanistan National Railway Plan and the Way Forward. Here
  • Baryalai Hassam, Afghanistan – Digital Silk Road. Here
  • Wang Daohao, Commercial Councilor of the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan – Promoting the Building of the Belt and Road, Accelerating the Regional Connectivity. Here
  • Waliullah Afkhami, Director of Development Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Iran – The Importance of Chabahar Port.
  • Pakistan – Connecting Gwadar Port to the Central Asia. Here
  • Idibek Kalandarov, Head of the Department for International Organization, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tajikistan – Railway networks connectivity between Tajikistan and Afghanistan as the main prerequisite of the New Silk Road. Here
  • L. Savithri, Director, SAARC Secretariat – South Asia Free Trade (SAFTA). Here


Third Working Group Session
Promoting Regional Trade, Private Sector Development, and Business-to-Business Cooperation across Asia through Afghanistan

Speakers:

  • Najibullah Wardak, Director General of Customs, Ministry of Finance – Afghan Customs Way Ahead. Here
  • Omer Almehry, United Arab Emirates – Dry Ports. Here
  • Rudrendra Tandon, Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran), Ministry of External Affairs of India – Trade & Customs Harmonization. Here
  • Mohammad Qurban Haqjo, President & CEO, Afghanistan Investment Support Agency, Empowering Investment Initiatives in the Region. Here
  • Nadeem Seddiqi – Senior Manager on Afghanistan and Pakistan, International Financial Corporation – Public Private Partnership.
  • Ece Aksop, Foreign Trade Expert, Ministry of  Economy of Republic of Turkey – Promoting Cross-Border Private Sector Development in the region. Here
  • Larry Sampler, Assistant to the Administrator, Office of  Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs – USAID Private Sector Development Projects in Afghanistan and in the Region. Here
  • Dr Aynul Hasan, Director, Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division, UNESCAP, Doing Business in Afghanistan Report. Here

Concluding Session

  • Chaired by: H.E. Assadullah Zamir, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock. Here
  • Presentation on the outcomes of three working groups and two side events by its rapporteurs.

Day II – Ministerial Meeting
4 September 2015, Kabul

  • Welcome Remarks by H.E. Salahuddin Rabbani, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
  • Transcript of Remarks Delivered by H.E. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of I.R. Afghanistan. Here

High-level Satements:

  • Statement by H.E. Sirodjdin Aslov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Tajikistan. Here
  • Statement by H.E. Muhammetguly Muhammedov, Minister of Finance of Turkmenistan. Here
  • Statement by H.E. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Minister of Interior, Islamic Republic of Iran. Here
  • Statement by H.E. Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Here
  • Statement by H.E. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary General, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

Plenary Session

Chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

  • Report by Government of Afghanistan: Progress, Challenges and the New RECCA Process by H.E. Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Deputy Foreign Minister, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Statements by Heads of Delegation.

  • Deng Xijun, Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan. Here
  • Philippe Merlin, Charge de affairs, French Embassy in Kabul. Here
  • E Mr. Omar Ahmad Karim Al-Barzenjee, Deputy Foreign Minister, Iraq. Here
  • Hiroshi TAKAHASHI, Ambassador of Japan in Afghanistan. Here
  • E. Takir Balykbayev – Deputy Minister of Education and Science (Deputy Co-Chair of Kazakhstan-Afghanistan intergovernmental commission). Here
  • Mohammad Suliaman Aldalilan, Senior Economist, Saudi Fund for Development. Here
  • Yuri Senturin, State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Energy, Russian Federation. Here
  • Maria Aurora Mejia Errasquin, Special Representative, Spain. Here
  • E. Ambassador Ali Sait Akın, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Afghanistan. Here
  • Pauline Maria Hayes, Director Western Asia Division, Department for International Development, United Kingdom. Here
  • Mohammad Qurban Haqjo, President of Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA). Here
  • Nurjehan Mawani, Diplomatic Representative, Agha Khan Development Foundation, Afghanistan. Here
  • Sayed Jalaleddin Alavi Sabzevari, Deputy Secretary General of Economic Cooperation Organization. Here
  • Mr .Stefan Huber, Deputy Head of Mission and charge de affairs, European Union. Here
  • Sayed Aqa, Vice President, Islamic Development Bank. Here
  • Tareq Y. M. Almenayes, Economic Advisor, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. Here
  • E Mr. Nicholas Haysom, SRSG, UNAMA. Here
  • Annette Dixon, South Asia Region Vice President, World Bank. Here


Closing Session
Future of Regional Economic Cooperation

  • Chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
  • Statement by H.E. Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
  • Presentation by Rapporteur of the Working Group Meetings.
  • Presentation by Rapporteur of the Academic Forum.
  • Presentation of the RECCA Essay Contest Winner.
  • Closing remarks by H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of the I. R. of Afghanistan. Here

Luncheon Side Event I
Economic Integration in The “Heart of Asia”
Role of Regional Organizations

  • Opening by: Dr Aynul Hasan, Director, Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division, UNESCAP.
  • Keynote Address: E. Abdul Satar Murad, Minister of Economy, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Side Event II
Renewable Energy Session (Participation by Invitation)

  • Opening by: Aman Ghalib, Director of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy and Water
  • Chaired by: E. Ali Ahmad Osmani, Minister of Energy & Water, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
  • Closing by: Mohammad Humayon Qayoumi, Chief Adviser to the President, Infrastructure, Human Capital, & Technology.

Press Conference:

Press release by H.E Salahuddin Rabbani, Minister of Foreign Affairs at GMIC. Here