NEW DELHI: India hopes Afghanistan’s soil will never be used for anti-Indian activities, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar he said on Saturday, joining the inaugural session of intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha via videoconference.
In his short speech, the Foreign Minister said that India’s friendship with Afghanistan is “strong and unshakable” and that no part of the country is on the sidelines of New Delhi’s development programs.
The Taliban and the Afghan government are holding direct talks for the first time to end a 19-year war that has killed tens of thousands of people and devastated various parts of the country.
An official delegation headed by the Co-Secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan- Iran division) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) participated in person at the opening ceremony in Doha, according to an official statement.
Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation of Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi and representatives from several major countries attended the inaugural session of the historic peace initiative.
“Our friendship with Afghanistan is strong and unwavering, we have always been good neighbors and always will be. Our expectation is that Afghanistan’s soil is never used for anti-Indian activities,” said Jaishankar.
There have been apprehensions in India about the possibility of using Afghan soil for anti-India activities if a new Pakistan-friendly dispensation emerges from the intra-Afghan negotiations.
In his remarks, Jaishankar also reaffirmed India’s long-standing position that any peace process in the country must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.
He said that the peace process in Afghanistan must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, adding that it must effectively address the issue of violence throughout the country and its surroundings.
“Increasing levels of violence cannot be allowed to continue and, like others, we support an immediate comprehensive ceasefire,” Jaishankar said.
Speaking about the peace process, he said that the progress made in establishing a democratic Islamic republic in Afghanistan, as well as the interests of minorities, women and vulnerable sectors of society, must be preserved.
“The friendship of our peoples is a testament to our history with Afghanistan. No part of Afghanistan is on the sidelines of our more than 400 development projects. Confident that this civilizational relationship will continue to grow,” the Foreign Minister tweeted.
Jaishankar referred to the age-old relationship between India and Afghanistan, which he said had stood the test of time.
“The Foreign Minister highlighted India’s role as an important development partner of Afghanistan with more than 400 projects completed in the 34 provinces of Afghanistan,” the MEA said in a statement.
He said he wished the intra-Afghan negotiations to succeed to deliver to the people of Afghanistan what they have longed for: a peaceful and prosperous future in an independent and sovereign nation, the MEA added.
The MEA said that Jaishankar’s participation was in response to an invitation from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Mohammad bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
Last month, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani agreed to release 400 Taliban prisoners, paving the way for the start of the long-awaited peace process aimed at ending nearly two decades of conflict in the war-torn country.
India has been a major player in the peace and stability of Afghanistan. It has already invested two billion dollars in relief and reconstruction activities in the country.
India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.
India has closely followed the evolution of the political situation after the United States signed a peace agreement with the Taliban in February. The agreement provided for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, and effectively pulled the curtain down on Washington18 years of war in the country.
The United States has lost more than 2,400 soldiers in Afghanistan since the end of 2001.
India has also argued that care must be taken to ensure that such a process does not result in any “ungoverned space” where terrorists and their representatives can relocate.
India has called on all sectors of the political spectrum in Afghanistan to work together to fulfill the aspirations of all the people of that country, including those of the minority community, for a prosperous and secure future.
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