KABUL - Indonesia’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Anshory Tadjudin on Wednesday said his country was ready to play a positive role in advancing the Afghan peace and reconciliation process.
The envoy was addressing participants of a ceremony marking Indonesia’s 71st   Independence Day in Kabul.
Afghan government officials, members of parliament, central bank governor, political and religious figures attended the ceremony.
Tajuddin said Jakarta and Kabul entered diplomatic relations in 1950 and Soekarno was his country’s first president who visited Afghanistan in 1961.
The ambassador said his country was deeply concerned about the prevailing situation in Afghanistan and said Indonesia would be pleased to play its part in the Afghan reconciliation process.
He said his country had provided scholarships to Afghan students and professional and vocational training to Afghan craftsmen. The diplomat said Indonesia was committed to assisting Afghanistan in diverse fields.
Tajudin said Indonesia had been involved in Afghanistan’s development since 2006 and it planned to build an Islamic centre here in the near future.
Afghan Foreign Ministry official Adela Raz, while speaking on the occasion, said Afghanistan and Indonesia enjoyed friendly relations since six decades.
She said both the countries had the same religion and culture and faced the common threat of terrorism which needed a combined strategy to be eliminated.
Raz said Indonesia had the experience of Afghanistan’s current situation and the Afghan government would welcome Indonesian assistance in this regard.
She asked the Indonesian head of mission to implement agreements that had been signed by former president Hamid Karzai during his visit to Jakarta.(Pajhwok)