Denmark – Afghanistan Embassy

Official name of country: Kingdom of Denmark

Capital: Copenhagen

Official languages: Danish

Population: 5 560 628 (per 2011)

Size: 43 098 square kilometers

Currency: DKK (Danish kroner)

Form of government: Constitutional Monarchy

Head of state: Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II

Head of government: Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen

Government

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy with parliamentary rule, just like Norway and Sweden.
It is one of the oldest monarchies in Europe, its rulers dating back more than a thousand years.
The Head of State, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II is a descendant of the first king, Gorm the Old (936-958 AD).
All decisions the government makes, need to be signed by the Monarch in council of the state meetings.
The Council of State is made up by the ministers in government and the reigning Monarch.
The council meetings are held at monthly intervals 10 times a year. The Queen has no political duties,
as in Norway and Sweden her only duties are representational and symbolic. The tradition calls for a Monarch without political sympathies,
and opinions of political character are not expressed publicly. The Queen calls for new elections on behalf of the Prime Minister,
as is common in constitutional monarchies.

The Danish parliament, Folketinget, is a unicameral parliament with representatives elected by direct proportional vote.
The parliamentary principle of the executive originating from the parliament’s power was introduced in 1849.
Parliamentary elections are held every four years, and the last parliamentary election was in 2011.

Diplomatic Relations

The Danish Ambassador to Afghanistan is H.E. A. Carsten Damsgaard, appointed in April 2010. Damsgaard followed H.E. Reimer R. Nielsen, appointed in late 2008.

For more information on the Embassy of Denmark to Afghanistan please visit:
http://www.ambkabul.um.dk/en/

Military Contribution

In order to promote security and create a safe environment for the civilian population and NGO workers that promote development,
Denmark focuses on a robust military commitment in Afghanistan. Also, an overarching purpose of the Danish military presence is to “contribute to national,
regional and international security by preventing that the country again becomes a free-haven for terrorists”.
The newest Danish strategy for Afghanistan did not contain any major changes on the development side. However, when it comes to the security issue,
the strategy has taken a new turn. The current Danish policy that Danish troops should be ready to hand over responsibility to Afghan authorities
and eventually exit Afghanistan. Or, as formulated in the strategy document, “the goal is to gradually shift the balance to a greater civilian effort
and a more withdrawn military effort”. This entails a strengthening of the current military contribution and a heavier focus on training
for the Afghan National Army. At the same time, the effort towards training the Afghan National Police is also stepped up. In 2008,
the financial support of the Afghan National Army amounted to up to DKK 10 million in addition to a one-time contribution of DKK 30 million to material upgrading.

The Danish military contribution in Afghanistan is substantial for such a small country. The number of troops stationed, as of August 2008,
is 675 soldiers. Within the year this number will increase to 750 troops. The largest concentration of Danish soldiers is
in Regional Command South in the Helmand Province. Up until recently, troops have also been stationed in other parts of Afghanistan.
Some staff officers have supported the German led PRT in Feyzabad in the north; others have contributed to the PRT in Chagcharan in the west.
Some Danes have served at ISAF headquarters in Kabul, some at KAIA, the military airport for the joint ISAF troops in Kabul.
Danish officials have found this to be ineffective, and now they want to focus their efforts in a battalion-sized task force in Lashkar Gah,
the PRT in Helmand. The Helmand Province is a very unstable province where Taliban has a strong grip on the population,
the aim is however to train Afghan soldiers to be able to handle the security challenges in the province.

Afghans in Denmark

The number of Afghan immigrants living in Denmark per January 1st 2007 is 9574. There are also 1980 persons who are descendants of Afghan immigrants.