SECRETARY KERRY, AFGHAN PRESIDENT GHANI MAKE REMARKS AT CAMP DAVID

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Afghan President Ashraf Ghani
Remarks
Camp David, MD
March 23, 2015

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good morning, everybody. On behalf of President Obama, Vice President Biden, and the entire Administration and my fellow secretaries, we are very, very pleased to welcome Dr. Ashraf Ghani, the president of Afghanistan, and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the chief executive officer, to Camp David. President Obama thought it would be a good idea to invite the president to come to Camp David, which is historically a place of diplomacy when it is not the retreat for the President. And we are gathered here with the entire security team of the President in order to spend a quiet, thoughtful day in an atmosphere of open discussion in order to talk about the remarkable transition that is taking place in Afghanistan.

This is President Ghani’s first visit to Washington since the peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan in a democratic process for the first time in history, and also the first time in history a unity government. Both Dr. Abdullah and President Ghani took great steps to make that happen. So he has an extraordinarily busy schedule: a full day of discussions today; a visit to the White House, a lengthy one, tomorrow; a joint session of Congress address; a trip to New York to meet with the secretary-general; and a lot of meetings in between with economists, journalists, various women’s groups, NGOs, and others here in Washington.

So we have a lot of work to do. We’re delighted to be able to enjoy these remarkable surroundings as a place to really talk about the future of Afghanistan. (Inaudible.)

PRESIDENT GHANI: Good morning. First of all, Dr. Abdullah and I are here with our team to say a very big thank you to the American public, American Administration, American Congress for selfless support over the years. The partnership of the United States is foundational for the government of national unity, and we are delighted to have the full team to discuss a changing context and to be able to affirm a partnership that is based on value, respect for democratic process, electoral reforms, comprehensive reforms of the economy, governance, and related issues.

Our message is one that it’s time for Afghanistan to reciprocate the gift that the United States has so generously provided over the years. Reciprocating the gift means owning our problems, solving them, and asking of ourselves what we must do for ourselves and for the region. We pursue a very active diplomacy at the regional level, at the Arab-Islamic level, and global level. This is a remarkable opportunity for us to discuss issues in depth, to be able to say thank you again, and to put the strategic partnership agreement and the bilateral security agreement into an operational (inaudible).

So thank you, Mr. Secretary, for your personal engagement. Thank you to Secretary Carter, Secretary Lew – old friends of ours. We are all looking very much forward to an in-depth discussion and open environment, and thank you for allowing us to remove the ties. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY KERRY: We have a lot of work to do. We’re going to go do it, and we’ll, all of us, have a chance to talk with you when we finish. Thank you.

PRESIDENT GHANI: Thank you.

U.S. SENDS CONGRATULATIONS TO AFGHAN LEADERS ON AGREEMENT TO FORM NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

United States Congratulates Dr. Ashraf Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah on the Agreement on Formation of a Government of National Unity

Press Statement

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

September 21, 2014

This was a moment of extraordinary statesmanship. These two men have put the people of Afghanistan first, and they've ensured that the first peaceful democratic transition in the history of their country begins with national unity.

Americans know very well that the road to democracy is contentious and challenging, but it's a road that leads to the best place. It doesn't happen overnight. We've had our own contentious elections and witnessed their aftermath. I've lived some of them. But if my recent visits to Kabul and the hours upon hours on the phone with these two men have taught me anything, it's how invested Afghanistan is in this historic effort.

In the days to come, Afghanistan has an enormous opportunity to grow stronger from this recent moment of testing.

Elections are not the end. They must be the beginning, where Afghanistan and its people move forward on a reform agenda and make improvements to the electoral process.

The inauguration of the new President, appointment of his Chief Executive, and the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement and NATO SOFA will open a new chapter in our enduring partnership with Afghanistan.

The United States remains determined to honor the Afghan people’s historic achievement by helping their transition succeed.