All the countries present today expressed concern that the territory of that country should not be used for financing any terrorist acts, or training, planning or sheltering. (Images Credit: Ministry of External Affairs)India and seven other countries including Russia, Iran and Central Asian nations have called for a collective cooperation to deal with terrorism, extremism, radicalization, separatism as well as the biggest menace of drug production and trafficking.
They reiterated their strong support for a stable, secure and peaceful Afghanistan emphasizing respect for its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs.
And at the end of the talks stressed that the government should be fully representative of the will of the people and should be inclusive with all sections of the society being present in the political and administrative structure in the reconciliation process of Afghanistan.
Who was present at the meeting?
All the National Security Advisers / Secretaries of the National Security Councils of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, Russia and Iran.
China and Pakistan were invited but they did not attend the meeting in New Delhi which was hosted by India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. This was the 3rd edition of the Delhi Regional Dialogue on Afghanistan and assumes importance as it comes two months after Taliban has taken over that country which is in the midst of a major humanitarian crisis.
For India, the biggest concern is threat of terrorism, radicalization as well as drug trafficking and Pakistan’s presence there.
Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan
At the end of the talks in New Delhi, eight countries issued the Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan and reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable nation.
All the participating countries expressed their concern over the suffering of the people due to the security situation in the war torn Afghanistan and they all condemned the terrorist attacks in Kabul, Kandahar as well as Kunduz.
All the countries present today expressed concern that the territory of that country should not be used for financing any terrorist acts, or training, planning or sheltering.
They all agreed that the fundamental rights of children, women and minorities are not violated.
What did India’s NSA say?
Welcoming the delegates for the dialogue, Mr Ajit Doval expressed hope that the deliberations will be helpful to the people of Afghanistan.
“The developments in that country have an important implication not only for that country, but for its neighbours and the region,” he added.
As reported earlier the visiting National Security Advisers (NSA) / Secretaries of the National Security Councils also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Why did India host the meet?
This meeting took place in New Delhi in an effort to firm up a common plan to deal with the growing threats of terrorism, drug trafficking as well as extremism in the war torn nation under Taliban 2.0.
This meeting was scheduled to take place earlier but had to be pushed back due to the global pandemic of COVID 19. And the situation in that country took a massive turn soon after the US led forces started withdrawing after almost two decades. What was left behind was total chaos, destruction and Taliban 2.0 and weapons and military platforms which were used by the US led forces.
The first two editions of the dialogue were held earlier in September 2018 in Iran and in December 2019.
On Tuesday, Mr Doval had bilateral meetings with the Uzbek counterpart Victor Makhmudov and they both agreed that the government in Afghanistan should seek legitimacy before seeking international recognition.
There was a bilateral meeting with Rahmatjon Mahmudzoda, the secretary of Tajikistan’s Security Council, and the talks were on the looming humanitarian crisis and the threat of terrorism from the soil of that country.
The security chief from Uzbekistan also met with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar.
Pakistan’s to host Troika Plus on Thursday
Interestingly, on Thursday, Pakistan has invited special representatives from the US, China and Russia to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
The `Troika Plus’ meeting in Islamabad will focus on Afghanistan and will be chaired by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and its National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf.
Who will attend the meeting in Islamabad?
Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will be accompanied by a senior delegation to attend the meeting. He will be representing the interim government of Afghanistan.
The US State Department’s Special Representative and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan — Thomas West is going to be present.
Also present will be Russia’s Special Afghanistan Envoy Zamir Kabulov.
China’s Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs Yue Xiaoyong will be present at the table for talks.
The Taliban delegation will also be discussing expanding facilities for the movement of the people, the refugees, how to enhance trade and economic ties and other important issues. Ministers and working finance groups of trade and finance ministries are part of the delegation.
In October, India was part of the Troika Plus talks which was hosted by Russia in Moscow.
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