HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/17/12 -- The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, today presented General Abdul Rahim Wardak, Special Advisor to the President of Afghanistan, with an honorary degree from the Royal Military College of Canada.

"I am pleased to present the Doctor of Military Science - Honoris Causa to General Wardak," said Minister MacKay, "so that I may personally thank him for his dedicated cooperation with Canada and for his unwavering on-going commitment to building Afghanistan's security forces and supporting its development in the long term."

During Minister MacKay's bi-lateral meeting with General Wardak they discussed the progress of the Afghan National Security Forces, as well as Canada's commitment to providing financial support to the Afghan National Security Forces after the end of Canada's military mission in 2014. Their bilateral discussion reaffirmed Canada's and Afghanistan's mutual commitment to strengthening and advancing security in Afghanistan. This engagement in the security sector supports Canada's significant investments in Afghanistan, and helps to sustain progress in key areas essential to Afghanistan's future.

General Wardak also participated in this weekend's Halifax International Security Forum. The Forum, hosted by Canada's Minister of National Defence MacKay, is a prestigious international gathering that brings together key thinkers, policymakers, and practitioners from like-minded nations around the world to discuss ideas and share insights on important global security challenges.

For more information on Canada's participation in North Atlantic Treaty Organization's training mission in Afghanistan, Operation Attention, please visit: www.cjoc.forces.gc.ca/exp/attention/index-eng.asp

For more information on Canada's engagement in Afghanistan, please visit: www.afghanistan.gc.ca

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