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    India, USA discuss Delhi's role in Afghanistan amid Taliban peace talks

    Synopsis

    US interlocutor for Afghan-Taliban talks Zalmay Khalilzad on Tuesday shared details of the Afghan peace process with India and urged Delhi to continue with its constructive role in the landlocked country.

    India-US-flagAgencies
    US interlocutor for Afghan-Taliban talks Zalmay Khalilzad on Tuesday shared details of the Afghan peace process with India and urged Delhi to continue with its constructive role in the landlocked country. Khalilzad who was on a brief visit to Delhi following his trip to Islamabad and Doha met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and briefed him on the Afghan peace process including peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban at Qatar, ET has learnt. NSA and Foreign Secretary was also present at the meet.

    India on its part referred to safeguarding Indian interests in Afghanistan from cross-border terror attacks and the necessity to clamp down against terror sanctuaries, ET has further learnt. India reiterated that any peace process must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. Indias traditional position is that the process has to respect the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and preserve the progress made in the establishment of a democratic Islamic Republic in Afghanistan.

    This was his 5th visit to India since January 2019. The two sides also discussed future steps and possible cooperation between India and the US in furthering the Afghan peace process. They also deliberated upon how to promote regional and international cooperation with regard to Afghanistan. In Islamabad the US interlocutor reportedly told his hosts that Pakistan Army take steps that the Taliban stays on course in the peace talks. Over the last weekend India participated in the intra-Afghan talks with JS (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) MEA JP Singh leading a delegation to Doha that includes Deepak Mittal, the Indian ambassador to Qatar.

    Pakistan has been concerned about India’s participation in the intra-Afghan talks at Doha but Delhi went ahead with its presence amid support by USA and Afghan government.In his address on Saturday, Jaishankar referred to the millennia old relationship between India and Afghanistan, which he said had withstood the test of time. He also highlighted India’s role as a major development partner of Afghanistan with over 400 projects completed in all the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.


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