On Tuesday, July 28, 2020, the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS)-Balkh Office organized a ceremony to appreciate and honor a number of leading personalities in Balkh province. At the beginning of the program, Habib Bozorgmehr, North Zone Coordinator of the Afghan Institute of Strategic Studies, introduced the program and provided information about the recent activities of the AISS. He pointed to the strategic position of Balkh and its civilization in history, and called elders of Balkh founders of civilization in the region. Mr. Bavar Bamik, appreciated this initiative, and introduced the elites present at the program. Then Saleh Mohammad Khaliq, former head of Balkh Information and Culture Directorate, spoke about the spiritual and cultural status of Balkh, and recalled Balkh as the center of Aryan civilization. He appreciated the attention of the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies to Balkh, and expressed hope that AISS include Balkh in its future programs. At the end of the ceremony, certificates were awarded to a number of prominent personalities of Balkh.