27 July, 2005
New Zealand Defence Force personnel in Bamyan, Afghanistan received a very high level visit today when President Hamid Karzai and Vice President Mohammad Abdul Karim Khalili, called in to view the work they are doing.
President Karzai also visited the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction team during his attendance at the Afghan National Police Graduation at Kiwi Base. The visit also included a tour of Bamian Girls School.
President Karzai said, 'I did not know, coming to the NZ PRT, that you would welcome us in such an unbelievably wonderful way. It is a tremendous pleasure to see your native welcome and to know that you, in NZ, keep your traditions alive and show it and display it even thousands of thousands of miles away. That's really the way to represent a people and to keep a nation alive forever...this is what I will be telling the people of Afghanistan.'
Bamyan was chosen as a suitable and relevant area for the President to visit as the NZ PRT to be among the most successful in Afghanistan.
NZ PRT commander Colonel Tim Keating said, ‘for security reasons the visit was not disclosed until the President had left the region.”
'The NZ PRT is honoured to have President Karzai visit and to be able to assist the President, Bamyan Province, and people of Afghanistan along the path toward peace and prosperity.' Says Col Keating.
The President received a Maori cultural welcome before attending a briefing on the PRT’s recent work and its current activities. After the briefing, the President met individual members of the PRT and local dignitaries.
Photo captions: President Karzai participates in a hongi with SSgt (Zak) Davis.
This page was last reviewed on 16 November 2005 and is current.