Afghan President: "My focus is for Afghan returnees to live a life of dignity"

Afghanistan's President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani tells SBS Radio Pashto that his priority is ensuring that Afghan migrants returning home will be granted opportunities and jobs. His landmark four day tour of Australia is the first of its kind ever undertaken by an Afghan President. President Ghani also says that a scheme has been put in place to ensure work and opportunities will be provided to returning Afghans. "We have established a program called 'Tashwiq' encouragement, and through this, the youth with expertise from foreign countries are given work and we have got rid of paperwork and bureaucracy," says President Ghani. The President says that the main purpose behind his historic tour to Australia, the first of its kind ever undertaken by an Afghan President, was to express gratitude for such aid and defence contributions made by Australia including- a further development deal signed by Turnbull and Ghani, as part of the visit, worth $320 million over four years to 2020. "Australia is our partner and without any expectation, it has helped us," says Ghani. "Australias economic assistance is more than $1 billion." "They have also lost 42 of their young personnel and 18,500 Australian soldiers have provided their service in Afghanistan." Listen to President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani's full interview in Pashto...

SBS Pashto Source: SBS Pashto