Kabul-Afghanistan (PMG):

Written By: Tariq Azim

Our plane left Kabul for Moscow. Like me, three male reporters and Zahra Joya a female reporter were excited to see Moscow for the first time. This media tour was provided by the Sputnik News Agency for journalists from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. The main purpose of the visit of journalists to Russia was to meet with the Moscow military and political officials, discussing the media situation in Afghanistan and Central Asia. For me, that I had seen Russia on television only, this trip was very special. So we arrived in Moscow for seven hours. The sputnik representative was waiting for us at the airport.

We were warmly welcomed by the Russians as respectable guests and left the airport for the purpose of the hotel. For the first time, I saw Moscow from inside the car. The city is inspiration and dreams. The city which has two aspects, first: the buildings which were built in the past few years, and the Metro stations, which may have been built several decades ago, and have preserved their greatness and beauty. In the past two decades, Moscow has seen the most construction, and, according to the latest polls, seventy-five percent of Russian citizens are pleased with Putin’s performance. We arrived at the hotel and after the refreshment of the trip, we got back to the city. Nawid (my trip mate and reporter) was like me excited to see Red Square.

We stayed for a few minutes until Zahra joins us. After nearly fifteen minutes we reached the Red Square, which is located in the Russian capital. The area which has held Kremlin Palace and St. Basil church in its heart and many of Moscow’s main streets lead to this square. This square is a spectacular place for tourism, along with major concerts held here. The Red Square was known in 1990 as cultural heritage and UNESCO included this areal at its Cultural Heritage List. After hours of site seeing in the city, we were back to the hotel, to get prepared for the program of tomorrow. On the second day of our trip to Moscow, the Sputnik news agency provided the opportunity for Afghan journalists to meet with General Barys Gromov. General Gromov was the last Soviet military commander who left Afghanistan from the Hayratan border town. He memories his thirty years back history, and he told his memories of meeting with the officials of that time in Afghanistan. Along with this, Franz Klintziewicz, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warmly welcomed Afghan journalists.

Along with the fact that he has been carrying out a military mission in Afghanistan for two years, he was a very kind and well-behaved man. He was particularly pleased with Afghan journalists saying “Afghans are as their own family members”. Answering the question on can he speak on Afghan languages, in Persian, he said: “I’d like to say a few words in your language, but I have not been talking for thirty years, and my pronunciation is not good? But he said are you fine (in Persian). Also, I know are you well and how is your health.” At the end of this official but friendly meeting, he said that he is so happy to meet a girl as an Afghan journalist and pay a visit with her from Afghanistan and he had a meeting in a foreign country, for a traditional respect Frant Schlasowich kissed the hand of Zahra Joya journalist of Etlaat Rooz.

The next night, at a banquet organized by the Sputnik news agency, we participated in this meeting with the corporation of the Central Asian journalists. Each country receives each other in their own language and experiences “a better co-empowerment”. This media tour was a good opportunity to approach the two countries. The host at the end of the night squeezed our hands warmly and said: “I hope to see you guys again!” I was hoping. I was also hoping that in our second tour to Russia Afghanistan would have peace and war would be abandon. I hoped that one day Afghanistan will host a media tour and make up for their hospitality.