Afghanistan: The Commander of the Regional Command West meets the Governor of Ghor

Photo By David Overson | Lithuanian Army Lt. Col. Viktoras Bagdonas, chief of staff for the Lithuanian Army "Griffin" Brigade, stands outside of the Lithuanian Tactical Operation Center during Allied Spirit VII, which took place at the U.S. Army's Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, Nov. 18, 2017. Approximately 4,050 service members from 13 nations are participating in exercise Allied Spirit VII at 7th Army Training Command’s Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Oct. 30 to Nov. 22, 2017. Allied Spirit is a U.S. Army Europe-directed, 7ATC-conducted multinational exercise series designed to develop and enhance NATO and key partner’s interoperability and readiness. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. David Overson)  

HERAT, AFGHANISTAN

09.30.2012

Courtesy Story

ISAF Regional Command West

HERAT, Afghanistan - Gen. Dario Ranieri met yesterday the Governor of the province of Ghor, the easternmost within ISAF’s Regional Command West area of responsibility, the Italian-led NATO command with a strength of more than 6,000 troops. The meeting with Sayed Anwar Rachmati took place on the occasion of a visit paid to the Lithuanian Provincial Reconstruction Team in Chaghcharan, the capital of the province inhabited by about 635,000 people.

The meeting’s agenda focused on the transition process, and security and development in the province. The Governor and Ranieri both emphasized the strategic importance of the projects implemented by the Lithuanian Provincial Reconstruction Team according to the demands expressed by the local population and authorities, among which

The so-called Highway 2, a strategic road that will connect Herat to the eastern part of the country. At the end of the meeting general Ranieri was presented a "chapan," the typical local cloth, a as a sign of welcome.

The visit continued at the base of Chaghcharan, where Col. Arturas Radvilas – the commander of the Lithuanian PRT – gave Ranieri an update about the assistance projects in progress, followed by an overview of the plans for the next six months, which will be implemented in collaboration with the Japanese Agency for International Cooperation.

Since 2009, the Lithuanian PRT has developed in partnership with JICA a number of projects in many fields: education, health, transport infrastructure and disaster management. Twenty-five projects were completed so far in the area of Ghor, funded by Lithuania and Japan over the last three years. All projects were carried out by local companies following high quality standards, also thanks to the security framework guaranteed by the Afghan security forces.

The visit ended with Ranieri’s address to the personnel of the PRT - consisting of Lithuanian civilian and military personnel along with contributions by Georgia, Japan, USA, Poland, Finland, the Czech Republic and Ukraine - acknowledging the great effort done in the perspective of an ever greater autonomy of local authorities and communities.

• Date Taken: 09.30.2012
• Date Posted: 09.30.2012 13:30
• Story ID: 95506
• Location: HERAT, AF