Afghan peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi
New Delhi:
Senior Afghanistan peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed the ongoing peace initiative to bring stability to Afghanistan.
Following the meeting, Mr. Abdullah tweeted that Prime Minister Modi had assured him of India’s continued support for the peace process in Afghanistan.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed India’s long-term commitment to further deepen ties with Afghanistan.
Mr. Abdullah arrived in Delhi on Tuesday for a five-day visit as part of efforts to build regional consensus and support the Afghan peace process.
“Nice to meet HE Narendra Modi @narendramodi, Prime Minister of the Republic of #India. During our friendly chat we took stock of the latest developments regarding the #AfghanPeaceProcess, the Doha talks and India’s support to peace efforts, “Mr. Abdullah said on Twitter.
“HE PM assured me of India’s continued support to the peace process and to Afghanistan. I thanked him and the Indian people for the invitation and the generous hospitality. I also thanked him. India for its principled position on the #AfghanPeaceProcess, ”he said.
On Wednesday, Mr. Abdullah, the head of the Afghan peace council, held in-depth talks with national security adviser Ajit Doval.
The influential Afghan leader’s visit to India comes amid peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha.
The Taliban and the Afghan government are in direct talks to end 19 years of war that has killed tens of thousands of people and ravaged various parts of the country.
India has been a major player in peace and stability in Afghanistan. It has already invested two billion dollars in aid and reconstruction activities in the country.
India supports an Afghan-led, Afghan-controlled and Afghan-controlled national peace and reconciliation process.
On September 12, an Indian delegation attended the inaugural ceremony of the intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha, while the Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, joined by video conference.
India has been following developments closely after the United States signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February. The deal called for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, effectively drawing the curtains on Washington’s 18-year war in the country.
The United States has lost more than 2,400 troops in Afghanistan since the end of 2001.
India also argued that care should be taken to ensure that such a process does not lead to “ungoverned spaces” where terrorists and their proxies can move.
India called on all sections of the political spectrum in Afghanistan to work together to meet the aspirations of all people in that country, including those in the minority community, for a prosperous and secure future.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
