26/05/2011 H.E. Ambassador Dr. Fatimie Attends Buffet Meeting Hosted by His Imperial Majesty the Crown Prince of Japan at the His Majesty's Palace

May 26, 2011: His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Fatimie had the esteemed honor to attend a buffet at the palace of His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince of Japan and received a warm welcome. Seven Ambassadors in total attended the meeting.

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Fatimie took the occasion to express deepest appreciation for the generous and selfless support that Japan has extended to Afghanistan’s development, emphasizing the important role that the Imperial Family has played in relations between the two friendly nations. H.E. Ambassador Dr. Fatimie further conveyed to His Imperial Highness deepest condolences on the massive loss of life and damages caused by the disasters of March 11th, expressing the solidarity of the Afghan people with the Japanese in this time of difficulty.

In return, His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince of Japan kindly expressed gratitude for the Afghan support these last months, expressing the deep friendship between the nations. Building upon this, His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince of Japan conveyed that His esteemed parents, Their Imperial Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan, had shared with Him Their warm memories from Their trip to Afghanistan in 1971. His His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince of Japan said that both He and Their Imperial Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan wished the best for Afghanistan and the Afghan people.

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20/05/2011 Ambassador Fatimie, Afghan delegation bring supplies to disaster evacuees in Ibaraki prefecture, meet with Hon. Mayor Ichihara of Tsukuba, Hon. Governor Hashimoto of Ibaraki

May 20, 2011: Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie along with a delegation of officials from the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Afghan residents of Japan visited Tsukuba, Ibaraki prefecture in order to bring supplies to disaster evacuees from Fukushima prefecture, home of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The delegation was made up of Mr. Jafar Ahmadyar, Mr. Nabard E. Yazdani, Mr. Kohi Amin, Mr. Mohammad Esmail, Mr. Taqi Mahmoodi, Mr. Fahim Nawabi, Mr. M. Baqer, Mr. Haji Baqer, and Mr. Amin Gul Hanif. From the Embassy, the Ambassador was joined by Dr. Bashir Mohabbat, Deputy Head of Mission; Mr. Jason Pratt, Public Relations Officer; Mr. Yuki Takeda; and Mr. Antony Tran.

The evacuees who had just moved into their new temporary homes said that due to the disasters of March 11th and the subsequent radiation problems, they were forced to move out of their homes without time or resources to bring furnishings with them. The delegation presented new furnishings directly to three families and left furnishings with the local government for 17 more.

Each set of furnishing included five light fixtures and a gas stove. Gas heaters donated by Mr. Yazdani were also brought along. These sets were acquired at the direction of the local government with funds raised by Afghan residents of Japan totaling 1,851,000 yen.

Ambassador Fatimie and the delegation spoke on the solidarity between the peoples of the two nations and offered prayers on their behalf. The evacuees expressed their gratitude.

The delegation then met with the Mayor of Tsukuba, the Hon. Mr. Kenichi Ichihara, and then with the Governor of Ibaraki, the Hon. Mr. Masaru Hashimoto, the latter in Mito city. Both of the Hon. officials expressed their appreciation for the support. Ambassador Fatimie expressed that this was further evidence of the close relations between the nations, building upon the support the Japan has shown to Afghanistan in its development. The delegation further offered condolences regarding the massive loss of life and damage done to the prefecture and all of Japan. Ambassador Fatimie presented letters of condolence and of appreciation to the Hon. officials.

To see the full gallery of the visit by photographer Antony Tran, click here.

To read the NHK report of the visit in English, click here. To read it in Japanese, click here.

To read the Mainichi Shimbun report in Japanese, click here.

(Photo, left to right: Mr. Hanif, Mr. Kohi Amin, Mr. Yazdani, Ambassador Fatimie, Governor Hashimoto, and Mr. Ahmadyar)

All photographs courtesy of Antony Tran

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15/05/2011 Ambassador Fatimie is interviewed on Voice of America about the Japanese disasters

May 15, 2011: Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie, along with Mr. Jafar Ahmadyar, head of the committee of Afghan residents in Japan supporting victims of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, were interviewed on Voice of America’s Dari language station about the situation in Japan.

Ambassador Fatimie, staff from the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Tokyo, and representatives of the committee will visit disaster evacuees later this week, bringing furnishings for them.

The Dari language report can be found on Voice of America’s homepage here.

To listen to the broadcast, click here.

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14/05/2011 Ambassador Fatimie attends the State of Kuwait’s charity bazaar, organized to support the victims of March 11th’s earthquake and tsunami

May 14, 2011: Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie attended the State of Kuwait’s charity bazaar in Mita, Tokyo, organized to support the victims of March 11th’s earthquake and tsunami.

The event offered the chance for attendees to purchase a number of Kuwati goods, including handicrafts and foods. All profits were directed through the Japanese Red Cross.

Ambassador Fatimie congratulated H.E. Ambassador Abdul-Rahman Humood A.R. Al-Otaibi on this noble effort and the two reflected on the solidarity of the Islamic nations with the Japanese people and government. The two agreed to meet again in the near future to discuss areas of mutual interest.

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11/05/2011 Ambassador Fatimie attends a reception hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to express Japan’s appreciation for international solidarity and support following the March 11th disasters

May 11, 2011: Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie attended a reception at the Iiikura House in Tokyo hosted by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to express Japan’s appreciation for international support following the March 11th disasters. The Ambassador attended in order to show the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Embassy’s solidarity with Japan, a close friend and ally.

Marking two months since the events of March 11th, diplomats from about 130 countries in total gathered together with Japanese officials.

Speakers at the event included H.E. Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto. In his speech, H.E. Prime Minister Kan conveyed sincere gratitude for the financial and more support that were offered to the victims, referring to this as evidence of strong ties between Japan and the other members of the international community. Regarding Japan’s Official Development Aid (ODA), H.E. the Prime Minister said that while there would be a reduction in funds dedicated to supporting other nations, this would only be a temporary arrangement.

Attendees of the event were provided with foodstuffs from the Tohoku region in a gesture of the safety of the products.

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7/05/2011 Ambassador Fatimie visits Shizuoka Prefecture, speaks at the opening of the Dr. Reshad’s new health facility



May 7, 2011: Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie made a visit to Shizuoka Prefecture, a prefecture intimately connected with Afghanistan, on the occasion of the opening of Dr. Khaled Reshad’s group’s new health facility.

Before visiting the new Appolon Ita facility, which will service the elderly and people affected with dementia, Ambassador Fatimie was given a tour of two other facilities previously opened by the group.

The opening ceremony for the new facility was attended by a number of related people and local dignitaries, including Hon. Mayor Katsuro Sakurai and Hon. Prefectural Assembly Woman Ikuko Ito. Dr. Reshad, a prominent Afghan resident of Japan who serves as an honorary advisor to Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan, was described by Hon. Ms. Ito in her speech as a bridge between the nations of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Japan; she further expressed her wish for a deepening of the already friendly relations between the two nations. Ambassador Fatimie, who has had the honor of opening a great number of health facilities in Afghanistan, expressed his pleasure at representing at this event the ever-increasingly close relations between the nations, referencing the contributions that the two nations made to one another, as well as wishing Dr. Reshad success in this and future pursuits. Ambassador Fatimie additionally called on those in attendance in joining him in expressing support for the victims of March 11th’s disasters.

To read the Ambassador’s speech, click here.

To read the newspaper report of the event in Japanese, click here.

(photo: from right to left, Dr. Khalid Reshad, Hon. Assembly Woman Ikuko Ito, Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie)

27-30/04/2011 Ambassador Fatimie travels to Nagasaki, meets with Governor Nakamura, Mayor Taue

April 27-30, 2011: Ambassador Dr. Sayed M. Amin Fatimie made an official visit to Nagasaki to honor the prefecture and city’s special significance as an international symbol of peace.

As the first official act of his trip, Ambassador Fatimie laid flowers at the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter in Nagasaki Peace Park, the impact point of the atomic bombing. The Ambassador was accompanied by Hon. Deputy Mayor Masanobu Chita. Ambassador Fatimie paid respects to the residents of Nagasaki who sadly lost their lives in World War II. Following this, the Ambassador was given a tour of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum by the museum's director, Mr. Akitoshi Nakamura. Ambassador Fatimie signed the memorial book in the museum.

During his trip, Ambassador Fatimie also met with local reporters and answered questions about current affairs in Afghanistan.

To read the Ambassador’s letter to Governor Nakamura, click here.

To read the Ambassador’s letter to Mayor Taue, click here.

To read the Yomiuri Shimbun report of the Ambassador’s visit in Japanese, click here.

To read the Nagasaki Shimbun report of the Ambassador’s visit in Japanese, click here. 

 (photos above: Ambassador Fatimie meets with Governor Nakamura)

 

(photo: Ambassador Fatimie meets with Mayor Taue)

 

 (photo: Ambassador Fatimie views displayed artifacts at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum)

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