Press Release - Date of Release: 20 February 2006

Arg, Kabul – H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, visited the province of Takhar today and inaugurated the Taloqan-Keshm road this afternoon.

During the inauguration ceremony the President said, “Three years ago, I had made a commitment to the people of Badakhshan to rebuild the Taloqan-Keshm road and today I am very pleased to be here and to inaugurate this long-awaited road. I hope the Taloqan-Keshm road will extend towards Tajikistan and Chinese borders to increase trade in the region.”

The 38-kilometer Taloqan-Keshm road with $25 million in funding from the World Bank will be completed by August 2007 and it will enable farmers to reach markets faster and increase people's access to employment, schools and health care.

Prior to the inauguration ceremony, the President met with community representatives from the provinces of Takhar, Badakhshan, Kunduz and Baghlan which included women, tribal elders, clerics and government officials. The community representatives thanked the President for visiting the province of Takhar, and spoke about the current priorities in their provinces.

The President briefed the community representatives on the country's latest situation and enquired about performances in reconstruction of these four provinces by Government offices in the past four years. The community representatives acknowledged the reconstruction projects in their respective provinces and asked the Government to concentrate on construction of schools and bridges and provision of electricity.

The President also praised the Provincial Reconstruction Teams under NATO/ISAF as a significant contributor to stability and reconstruction in Northern provinces of Afghanistan. 

Released by the Office of the Spokesman to the President
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan