Afghanistan–Germany relations

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Afghanistan–Germany relations
Map indicating locations of Afghanistan and Germany

Afghanistan
Germany
Diplomatic mission
Afghan Embassy, BerlinGerman Embassy, Kabul (closed)
Afghan embassy in Berlin, Germany.

Relations between Afghanistan and Germany date back to the late 19th century and have historically been strong.[1] 100 years of "friendship" were celebrated in 2016, with the Afghan President calling it a "historical relationship".[2]

History

Secret relations during British indirect colonial rule

The Treaty of Gandomak (26 or 30 May 1879) and the Treaty of the Durand Line overruled a prior agreement from 1893 concerning 2,640 kilometres (1,640 mi) of porous border between British India (now Pakistan) and Afghanistan. As a result of this treaty Britain gained full control of Afghan foreign policy from the king of Afghanistan. Germany, as a rival to Britain, was only able through secret missions and expeditions to reduce British influence in Afghanistan.

Engineer Gebhard Fleischer, nicknamed The German James Bond in Kabul,[3] was an engineer of the Krupp company, a German arms manufacturer. In 1893 he traveled to Kabul and privately met with the King Abdur Rahman Khan. Under the Kings orders he expanded the Afghan weapons companies Maschin Khana (House of machines) and Tupkhana (cannon house). It is not certain whether the government in British India knew of this journey. Later, in 1904, the Krupp engineers were mysteriously assassinated. Adamec writes:

The first German known to reside in Kabul was Gottlieb Fleischer, an employee of Krupp Stellworks of Essen, Germany, who was contracted by Amir Abdul Rahman in 1898 to start manufacture of ammunitions and arms in the newly constructed factory (mashin Khana) at Kabul. He was killed in November 1904 near the border while traveling to India.[4]

Trade and Friendship treaty of 1916

The relations between Germany and Afghanistan began before World War I. Relations between these two countries have historically been friendly.[5]

The second German-Afghan meeting between Habibullah Khan and a 23-member German delegation took place in 1915. The main intentions of this delegation was to weaken British influence in Afghanistan as part of the

Niedermayer-Hentig expedition.[6] However, during this expedition in 1916 a friendly trade-agreement occurred.[7] The trade contracted concluded even though there were prior diplomatic relations between these countries. According to the Treaty of 24 January 1916 the German delegation to the Government of Afghanistan was promised 100,000 rifles and 300 guns.[8]

A friendship agreement was made on 3 March 1926.[9] With recognition of the ambassadors in both these countries. In 1926 the prior existing friendship and trade agreement of 24 January 1916 was ratified.

Diplomatic relations and accreditation of consul

The first Afghan delegation to Germany occurred in 1922 where the delegation traveled to Berlin for talks on diplomacy, trade and cultural relations. In response Germany sent

minister plenipotentiary was located in Kabul near the Gardens of Babur.[10] The Afghan King, Amanullah Khan, visited Germany on 22 February 1928 where he met the President of the Weimar Republic, Paul von Hindenburg.[11]

1930s and war period

Afghanistan established close ties with Germany prior to 1935 – forming important economic and technical connections,[12] and seeking an alternative to its historical position as a contested territory between the USSR and Britain. Germany increased commercial transactions in Afghanistan during this period, with a weekly Berlin-Kabul air service established, and the Organisation Todt supervised major infrastructure projects in the country.[13]

Afghanistan resisted calls from Moscow and London to expel the Italian and German diplomatic corps at the beginning of the

proposed division of Asia between Germany and Japan. At the end of the Second World War the German military donated its remaining arsenal to Afghanistan as a sign of good faith for its neutral stance during the war.[14][15]

Post-war

Afghanistan became one of the first countries to recognize the

republican coup
in Afghanistan, but was restored by 1976.

Following the Soviet–Afghan War, the West German soldiers stationed in Afghanistan left the country. Qualified West German personnel and advisors left the country in 1980 followed by teaching staff in 1984.[18] Meanwhile, East Germany supported the Soviet role in the country and assisted the Afghan government.[19] Afghanistan and East Germany did not have many links since the latter was recognized in 1973, but this all changed during the Afghan communist regime. Cultural and economic agreements were made, and both countries' media agencies cooperated. The basis was formed following a visit by Afghan leader, Babrak Karmal, to East Germany, after which a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was signed on May 21, 1982. Their cooperation had a particular focus on the education sector.[20]

In 1985, total East German solidarity donations to Afghans was over 200 million

mujahideen taking over the capital, the fall of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the Afghan Civil War lasting from 1992 to 1996.[21]

After German reunification

German Army soldiers in northern Afghanistan (2009)
German police officers training Afghan officers in Afghanistan (2010)

The

Bonn Conference, which chose Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan's interim leader in 2001. Currently Germany is engaged in a security mission with its military and reconstruction efforts in the northern areas of Afghanistan, and has been one of the principal donors to Afghanistan.[22]

On 23 December 2021, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that Afghanistan is "heading into the worst humanitarian catastrophe of our time," with major economic sectors collapsing and more than 24 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.[23][24] She promised to speed up the evacuation of more than 15,000 vulnerable Afghans, including local Afghan staff who worked for Germany and their family members.[25]

See also

Books

  • Ludwig W. Adamec: Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan, 4th ed., 2012,
    ISBN 978-8170493112
  • Ludwig W. Adamec: Afghanistan's Foreign Affairs to the Mid-Twentieth Century: Relations with the USSR, Germany, and Britain. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1974,
    ISBN 978-0816504596

References

  1. ^ Afghan German Friendship Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung [permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "100 Years of Afghan-German Ties Marked at Kabul Event".
  3. ^ Tom Appleton (9 February 2003). "Ein deutscher James Bond in Kabul".
  4. ISBN 978-8170493112
    .
  5. ISBN 90-04-12593-0
    .
  6. ^ Adamec, Ibid.
  7. ^ "Home". Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Historio.de". Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  9. ^ Text in League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 62, pp. 116–125.
  10. ^ Clements, Frank A.: Conflict in Afghanistan: A historical encyclopedia, 2003, p.7
  11. ^ "King Amanullah's travels | Railways of Afghanistan".
  12. ISBN 9781857431339
    .
  13. ^ a b Afghanistan during World War II
  14. ISBN 978-0-7546-3615-1
    . Pg 2
  15. ISBN 978-0-19-822884-4
    – via Google Books.
  16. ISBN 9781349219483
    .
  17. ^ a b c d "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2005. Retrieved 8 April 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ Zeter, Kerstin (17 October 2014). "Rückblick: Die deutsch-afghanischen Beziehungen". Planet Wissen (in German). Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  19. ^ Olga Oliker (2011). "Building Afghanistan's Security Forces in Wartime. The Soviet Experience" (PDF). Rand Corporation.
  20. ^ a b "Deutsch-afghanische und DDR-afghanische Beziehungen". 22 October 2016.
  21. ^ https://www.statewatch.org/media/documents/news/2009/mar/afghanistan-ukba-c-of-origin-report.pdf
  22. ^ "Germany's long, hard slog in Afghanistan | DW | 06.03.2018". DW.COM.
  23. ^ "Afghanistan suffering 'humanitarian catastrophe' says Germany Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock". Deutsche Welle. 23 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Afghan health care faces collapse amid economic crisis". Deutsche Welle. 24 December 2021.
  25. ^ "Germany warns of 'worst humanitarian catastrophe' in Afghanistan". Dawn. 23 December 2021.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Afghanistan–Germany_relations&oldid=1217388960"