Fiscal Reform, Sovereignty, and Infrastructure for National Development

 Salam Khana Palace

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

Esteemed members of Parliament, distinguished Senators, honorable members of the Cabinet, the Ambassador of France, Mr. Muslimyar [Speaker of the Senate], and all attendees of this assembly: First of all, I offer you the greeting of the leader of humanity; Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

Gratitude for the National Budget

First, I wish to express my deep gratitude and that of the Afghan people to the Wolesi Jirga and the Meshrano Jirga for approving the national budget. This was a great and historic step. The result is that from the very first day of the fiscal year, the Afghan government will be capable of spending, and no one will have cause to complain that their salary is not paid on time or that development projects are not being implemented according to schedule.

I sincerely thank Dr. Qayoumi and all colleagues at the Ministry of Finance, and on their behalf, I once again thank the Meshrano Jirga and the Wolesi Jirga. This method of work is exactly what our Constitution requires. Accordingly, all reasonable and practical advice from the Senators and Representatives has been incorporated into the budget. This budget is absolutely national, transparent, and at the service of the Afghan people.

Budget Performance and Reform

At the same time, I thank Dr. Qayoumi and the members of the Cabinet. This is the first time that the execution of Afghanistan’s development budget has reached 93%. By this standard, Afghanistan now joins the ranks of effective countries in terms of budget expenditure. I offer my congratulations to the nation and especially to your constituents whom you represent.

Furthermore, for the first time, luxury expenditures have been reduced and the ordinary budget has been brought under control. The development budget will, God willing, increase. The next point is that Dr. Qayoumi and all Cabinet members and primary budgetary agencies have agreed to maximize spending in the first and second quarters of this year. This is so the people of Afghanistan can see the implementation of these projects with their own eyes, bringing them hope and employment.

The Gabion Project: Managing Water and Disasters

The Gabion project is a project that the entire Afghan nation desired, and you—the Representatives, Senators, and elders—had requested it repeatedly. For this reason, I especially thank Dr. Tsarkand, one of our great scientific personalities who has joined us as a collaborator and will spend the next four to six months in Afghanistan. I also thank Mr. Durrani, Mr. Karimi, Mr. Khulmi, and Mr. Tekal.

What is the goal? Brothers and sisters, for the first time, we will break the vicious cycle of floods and droughts. We were told that fortifying the banks of the Amu River would require billions of dollars, as would the Kunar River, and so on. We have found a relatively inexpensive, useful, and comprehensive method using our own stone, which only requires steel. The key point is that the steel mesh must be strong; that is why it took a few months of preparation. The fundamental work to break this vicious cycle begins in the month of Dalwa [January/February], and I congratulate your constituents and the people of Afghanistan on this.

With the start of this work and the realization of its results, we will, God willing, be able to prevent the massive loss of land and property along our riverbanks and manage our water. Water management was one of the core points on which a national consensus exists, and this step is being taken toward that goal.

The Independent Radar System and Sovereignty

I also congratulate everyone on the radar system. God willing, thanks to this system, within three years Afghanistan’s revenue from this source alone will be between 12 to 15 billion Afghanis.

The first example of this is the Qatar Airways flights that now pass directly through Afghan airspace, which alone has generated millions of Afghanis. Moving forward, Afghanistan will truly become a "corridor"—the shortest route in Asia—used through various means. At the same time, this gives us the capability to bring all external flights, including helicopters and planes, under our control. We took the first step toward our airspace independence previously; I congratulate you all on this second step in consolidating our aerial sovereignty.

May God protect you. I also want to specifically thank Dr. Wardak. Mr. Wardak worked extensively with the members of Parliament on these projects, and this cooperation will continue.

Long live Afghanistan! Yashasın Afghanistan! Zindabad Afghanistan! May you be successful.