President Karzai accepts credentials of Belgian ambassador

President Hamid Karzai accepted the credentials of the Belgian ambassador to Kabul Arnout Pauwels in a ceremony the Presidential Palace during which the president and the ambassador discussed expansion of relations between the two nations, reports the Bakhtar news agency. President Karzai thanked the Belgian government for its assistance in the past years and expressed the hope that, during the mission of the new Belgium ambassador, ties between the two nations further develop. The Belgian ambassador assured the president that he and his team in Afghanistan will strive to further expand cooperation between the two nations especially in the education and higher education. Dr Zalmai Rasul Foreign Minister and head of the protocol department of the ministry were also present at the ceremony.