The foreign ministers of India and Afghanistan met in New Delhi. Discussions included development, mining, trade, education and humanitarian aid. India will help earthquake victims and extend visas. This is the first high-level Afghan visit since August 2021.
New Delhi: On Friday, a bilateral meeting was held between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki. India appreciated Afghanistan’s invitation to explore mining opportunities in the country and said this can be discussed further. In his remarks during the meeting on Friday, Jaishankar touched on a range of aspects of India-Afghan relations, from development partnership to cricket. He said- As a neighbor and well-wisher of the Afghan people, India has a keen interest in your development and progress.
Jaishankar said- He reaffirmed the long-standing partnership under which many Indian projects have been carried out in Afghanistan. He said they can also discuss maintenance and repair of completed projects as well as steps to complete other projects for which we have already committed. In addition, our teams can discuss other development priorities for Afghanistan.
India will rebuild houses in earthquake affected areas of Afghanistan
He said- India would like to contribute in the reconstruction of houses in the areas affected by last month’s Kunar and Nangarhar earthquakes. Given that India has been an important country in providing food aid to the Afghan people. Another consignment will be delivered to Kabul today. Talking about the plight of Afghan refugees who were forcibly repatriated, Jaishankar said- it is a matter of deep concern and India agrees to continue providing material assistance to help them build houses and rebuild their lives. India stands ready to cooperate on sustainable management of its water resources. Our educational and capacity building programs have long uplifted Afghan youth. We will expand opportunities for Afghan students to study in Indian universities. It also noted the launch of a new visa module for Afghans in April 2025, due to which India is issuing a larger number of visas, including medical, business and student categories.
Jaishankar thanks Afghanistan for standing with India after Pahalgam attack
Jaishankar said- India is happy to further strengthen its support for Afghan cricket. He also appreciated Afghanistan’s solidarity after the Pahalgam terror attack and Afghanistan’s sensitivity towards India’s security concerns. Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki arrived in New Delhi on Thursday on a week-long visit to India. Muttaki’s visit from October 9-16 is the first high-level delegation from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.