Ottawa- Agust 18, 2020

Read the message by Ambassador Hassan Soroosh on the 101st Anniversary of the Restoration of Afghanistan’s Independence:

“Today, our fellow Afghans across the world including Afghan-Canadian community celebrate the 101st anniversary of the restoration of Afghanistan’s independence.
On behalf of my family, embassy staff and myself, I extend my best wishes to all who celebrate this auspicious occasion.
Our people’s love for independence and freedom and their resilience in the face of countless challenges and hardships has been a hallmark of our long and rich history.
The history has also been a testament to our people’s love for friendship and partnership with the wider world. As the crossroads of civilizations and an important hub in the ancient Silk Road, Afghanistan has historically made significant contributions to the expansion of trade, and promotion of art, culture and knowledge at a global level.
The past 19 years have been marked by a common journey between Afghanistan and the international community which can be exemplified by a growing partnership and multifaceted bilateral cooperation between Afghanistan and Canada based on shared priorities and values including peace, democracy, human rights, education and women’s empowerment.
We remain grateful for Canada’s continued support to Afghanistan including to the ongoing COVID-19 response efforts in the country. We pay tribute to all those courageous men and women from Canada who made the ultimate sacrifice alongside our security and defence forces to preserve our shared principles and values.
I also wish to thank the Afghan-Canadian community as well as friends of Afghanistan in Canada for their continued commitment and engagement towards expanding bilateral cooperation and deepening people-to-people contacts.
Our collective efforts and sacrifices in Afghanistan have culminated in considerable improvement in major areas including democratic process, economic growth, infrastructure development, education, health, access to justice, human capital development and women’s empowerment.

Afghanistan is now an active member of the international community and remains actively involved in many regional and international platforms, playing an important role in promoting multilateralism and global shared values.

Building on the vision for a new and progressive Afghanistan set forth following the restoration of Afghanistan’s independence in 1919 and pursued in the ensuing decades including in the past 19 years , our vision for the future is to build “a sovereign, unified, democratic Afghanistan at peace with itself, the region and the world, capable of preserving and expanding the gains of the past two decades”. A country that would serve as a regional and continental hub for trade and transit and an important driver of economic growth, development and stability in the wider region and beyond.
As the Afghan peace process is reaching an important phase, preservation of the gains of the past 19 years and consolidation of the ongoing collective efforts through a long-term partnership between Afghanistan and our international partners including Canada remain crucial in achieving this noble vision.”