Dr. Ashraf Ghani

Speech at the Inauguration of the Lapis Lazuli Transit and Transport Corridor

Keypoints:

Citizen’s Mandate: Acting on local voices to show government listens.
Breaking Isolation: Ending landlocked vulnerability and closed-border threats.
Philosophy of Connection: Making Afghanistan a regional bridge, not divide.
4,000-Year Legacy: Reclaiming trade routes older than the Silk Road.
Herat Crossroads: Reviving its role as hub for trade and knowledge.
Culture of Hospitality: Welcoming partners, rejecting ill-intent approaches.
Regional Trust: Neighbor investments signal confidence in Afghanistan’s future.
Export-Led Growth: Shifting from aid to trade, sending saffron, marble, fruit.
Private Sector Leadership: Investors lead the use of new infrastructure.
National Blueprint: Scaling Herat success across all border provinces.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Sisters and brothers of Herat, Minister Ismail Khan, Mawlavi Khodaydad, all the elders of Herat, Khalifah Sahab Nawin, esteemed ambassadors of brotherly and friendly nations, honorable members of the Cabinet, and Mr. Daudzai—first of all, I offer you the greeting of the great leader of humanity: Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah. A gardener from Herat named Gul Ahmad Khan once made a request to me at an agricultural exhibition. His request was this: "I welcome the air corridor, but I am waiting for the land corridor to open." Congratulations to Gul Ahmad Khan and the people of Herat. The hallmark of a responsible government is to turn the requests of its people into reality, and it is my hope that today, ancient Herat takes another giant step toward reviving its past glory and civilization. I congratulate the people of Herat once again, and I express my gratitude to the members of Parliament and the Provincial Council, the sisters and brothers of Herat’s private sector, my colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Administrative Office of the President, and our ambassadors who worked tirelessly for this cause.

Tribute to the Martyrs and Security Forces

Before we proceed to today's topics, we remember all our martyrs, especially Martyr General Nematullah Khalil, Deputy Commander of the Herat Corps, and his colleagues who perished in the plane crash. We offer our prayers for them and wish them paradise; and I express my heartfelt gratitude to the noble people of Herat for the magnificent burial they gave him. The pain of every general, soldier, officer, and sergeant is the pain of the entire Afghan nation. I thank our security and defense forces for defending Afghanistan and, specifically, for protecting our major national projects. I also extend my sincere congratulations to the people of Faryab, who represent another connecting point of the Lapis Lazuli route. We hope that Aqina and Turghundi will be linked, and we are eagerly awaiting the implementation of the major railway project that will connect Hairatan to Turghundi. This will be another significant step in reviving the Silk Road, the Lapis Lazuli route, and our other connecting paths. Mr. Yari and his colleagues will, God willing, bring this to fruition.

The Vision of National Connectivity

Today, a major barrier to our goal of an export-oriented and connected Afghanistan has been removed. Seventeen years ago, Afghanistan was in isolation; we had no means of connection with anyone. Four years ago, we were threatened that if this or that border were closed to you, you would have no bread to eat. Today, Afghanistan is connected. The goal of the people, the government, and the economic class of Afghanistan is "connection." We are a people of connection, not of separation. We do not seek isolation; we seek cooperation and collaboration. The opening of this route does not mean the closing of Afghanistan’s paths to South Asia; on the contrary, it is a step that allows this Lapis Lazuli route to link South Asia, in the next phase, to Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe.

Historical Context of the Lapis Lazuli Route

If you allow me three minutes to discuss the history of the Lapis Lazuli route—because people often ask why we didn't name it the Silk Road—the simple answer is that the Lapis Lazuli route has a 4,000-year history. The Silk Road was established in 119 BC. Therefore, the export of Afghan lapis lazuli from Badakhshan to Egypt and India has a 4,000-year history; the Silk Road came nearly 2,000 years after that. We have vast routes; we are not limited to one path, and we seek hundreds of connecting routes. In this context, let us not forget the brilliant history of Herat. Before Alexander the Great, Herat was situated on a major regional highway spanning 1,600 miles. Since then, Herat has repeatedly held a key status, like a ruby in the jewelry of regional connectivity. Specifically, we must remember that history-making son of Herat, Tahir Phushangi, who changed the history of the region and the Islamic world. Today, most historians believe that with Tahir, trade, science, and industry moved from East to West—to Baghdad. My point is this: our program is very simple. We want to revive our past glory, and this glory is tied to connections and the means of communication. The thinkers, traders, investors, industrialists, youth, and women of Herat are in contact with the Islamic world, the region, and the globe.

Cultural Identity and Regional Crossroads

Afghanistan in general, and Herat in particular, has always been a crossroads. In the past, if you looked at the center of Herat city, it was called "Chaharsu" (Four Directions), and in the four directions of Herat, people were present from East and West, North and South, and from the furthest reaches of Russia and Siberia to the furthest reaches of Nepal. Let us not forget that we have a culture of hospitality, not a culture of rejection. Our culture of rejection is only for those who look at us with ill intent; I hope they learn from history that it is better to shake our hand than to face our fist. In the past, we held the position of a crossroads, a center of thought, and a hub of cities. Do not forget that when Arab historians came to Balkh, they named it "Um-al-Bilad" (Mother of Cities) because it was five or six times the size of the cities they had seen. Today, we are not only the gateway to the Indian subcontinent; God willing, we are once again the gateway to Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe.

International Partnerships and Strategic Investments

I want to thank our international partners who made this historic day possible for us. First, the Republic of Turkmenistan: I express my heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency Berdimuhamedov, my dear brother, who also visited Herat last time. Sisters and brothers! Turkmenistan not only decided to connect us but also completed the railway distance between Mary, Turghundi, and Faryab using its own funds and the labor of Turkmen workers and engineers, providing us with a means of connection. Thank you, Republic of Turkmenistan! The honorable President of Azerbaijan, my dear brother Ilham Aliyev, announced at the 2012 Chicago Conference that he would make the Northern Corridor possible. Azerbaijan invested hundreds of millions of dollars. Without Azerbaijan's investment, the railway would not have connected to Georgia and Turkey. I express my gratitude to the Republic of Azerbaijan and specifically His Excellency Aliyev on behalf of the people of Afghanistan. Also, thank you to the President of Turkey, my dear brother His Excellency Erdogan, who created a massive investment in the connection between Ceyhan and Batumi—first in pipelines and now in railways. Previously, it took about 24 days to reach Azerbaijan from Turkey; today, it takes two days. I also thank my very dear friend His Excellency Giorgi Margvelashvili for the immense investment he and the former President of Georgia made in the excellent relations between Afghanistan, Georgia, and the Lapis Lazuli route.

Administrative Recognition and Economic Impact

I mentioned these examples because when Mr. Tahmasebi spoke about the agreements and contracts—which are absolutely necessary—I must thank him, Mr. Shams, Mr. Yari, and all the colleagues, including our Ambassador Mr. Waisi, who worked very hard, as well as Ambassador Nab, Ambassador Khalili, and other ambassadors and all colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, without hundreds of millions of dollars in general investment, this would not have been possible. It is an example that our northern neighbors have faith in the future of Afghanistan, and this faith provides us with the ground to return to Gul Ahmad Khan. Now, the incomparable grapes of Herat will, God willing, reach Europe. The marble of Chishti Sharif, which is unique in the world, will reach Italy and other places. Herat’s saffron, which has achieved the world's top rank three times, will reach all corners as an Afghan export. This is just the beginning. Pomegranates from Kandahar, almonds from Samangan and Zabul, and all the products of our other provinces—licorice, hing, and so on—will, God willing, reach the global market. In this lies the joy of all the people of Afghanistan. Just as the people of Afghanistan celebrated the inauguration of the Salma Dam, I expect all the people of Afghanistan today to welcome and celebrate the start of this corridor.

Final Promises and Call to Action

My final point: the long-held dream of the people of Herat to revive the glory of the Timurid, Tahirid, and prehistoric eras is, God willing, being realized. My promise is that as long as I have a breath of life in me, I will fulfill this demand of the Heratis. My message to the 20 other provinces of Afghanistan that are also at border points is this: what we started in Herat will, God willing, be repeated throughout all of Afghanistan. In conclusion, I first thank all the colleagues who took part in this. Second, the ball is now in the court of our investors. The ground has been prepared; now let us see with what strength and how far you will take the ball. I am certain that this capacity exists within you and will be realized. The remaining tasks require urgent attention, and every subsequent step must be implemented with wisdom and precision, yet with speed.

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