Washington – The United States on Monday expressed appreciation for Indian efforts this week to bring together international financiers in New Delhi to encourage private investment in Afghanistan.
Replying to a question at the daily press briefing about the Delhi Investment Summit on Afghanistan, Victoria Nuland, the US State Department Spokesperson said, “This is an excellent initiative to strengthen private sector investment, to strengthen regional links, and shows great leadership on the Indian government’s part.”
Earlier, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) announced that, with the support of the governments of India and Afghanistan and in cooperation with relevant Afghan investment and business organizations, it was holding the “Delhi Investment Summit on Afghanistan” on June 28, 2012 at the Hotel Taj Palace in New Delhi.
Nuland applauded the Indians for putting together the event “to encourage more private sector investment in Afghanistan and support for its economy.”
Noting there were “more than a dozen American companies participating in the conference to explore investment opportunities, including big companies like DuPont, PricewaterhouseCoopers, General Electric, ExxonMobil,” Nuland said, “We’ve encouraged our firms interested in Afghanistan to participate. So we are very much appreciative.”
In its statement, CII outlined that the objective of the summit was to attract foreign investment into Afghanistan, in the light of new opportunities opening up in various sectors in the country.
The summit will include presentations by the government of Afghanistan and others on the investment climate and opportunities in Afghanistan and panel discussions on cross-cutting issues, as well as sector-specific themes. Potential regional and international investors, including companies from India, were also slated to participate in the event. (IATNS)