A ceremony was held today for the official opening of the second phase of the transition in Herat province, epicentre of the region where approximately 4,000 Italian troops are stationed.
After an initial phase involving the main city of Herat, the transition will now continue in the majority of the province’s other districts, and is to include the gradual transfer of security responsibility to the Afghan forces.
Those attending the event included the Foreign Minister’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Francesco Talò, who extended Minister Terzi’s greetings and assurance of Italy’s commitment to its long-term goal of fostering political reconciliation, institutional stability and economic development in Afghanistan.
“My presence at this ceremony”, the Special Envoy pointed out, “bears witness to the attention that Italy, and Minister Terzi in particular, reserve not only for the city of Herat, but also for the peripheral districts where the majority of the population live”.
The Afghan authorities present included Head of the Transition Committee Minister Ashraf Ghani, Deputy Interior Minister General Mirza Mohammad Yarmand and Army Chief of Staff General Sher Mohammad Karimi, who publicly thanked Italy for its generous military and civilian commitments, underscoring the importance of long-range infrastructure projects that include the expansion of the Herat airport.
