France pledges $21m for Kapisa projects

KABUL projects in central Kapisa province.

Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal and French Ambassador to Afghanistan John Michel Marlow signed an agreement on the assistance in Kabul.

Zakhilwal told reporters the aid would be spent on executing projects in areas of health and rural rehabilitation and power.

He said the aid showed France was committed to developing Kapisa province despite withdrawing its troops from the area.

The minister said electricity would be extended to Tagab and Najrab districts from the Naghlu hydropower dam as part of the projects, but stopped short of going into details.

He said Afghanistan valued French cooperation and assistance the country had been extending for reconstruction and development projects over the past many years.

For his part, the French Ambassador said Kabul and Paris enjoyed historic friendly relations and stressed the need for further increasing the ties in diverse fields.

mrh/ma/mud

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