India 'Important Player' on Afghanistan Issue: MEA to Sputnik
18:47 05.10.2023 (Updated: 12:52 10.10.2023)
© AP Photo / Altaf QadriA cyclist pedals past the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. India's External Affairs Ministry is examining a letter from the Afghan Embassy that says it plans to cease all operations in the Indian capital by Saturday, an official said Friday. India has not recognized the Taliban government which seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
© AP Photo / Altaf Qadri
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The Moscow Format meeting last week was attended by special representatives and officials from China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that New Delhi remains an “important player” in the global community on stabilizing the Afghanistan situation.
“We are guided by our desire to have closer relations with the Afghan people and how best we could assist them. There is a feeling that our contribution is important and we are an important player on the issue,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in response to a question by Sputnik India at the weekly briefing in New Delhi on Thursday.
The Indian diplomat was commenting on New Delhi’s participation in the Moscow Format Talks on Afghanistan hosted by Russia in Kazan last week.
"We participated in the talks. This is not the first time (we are participating in the Moscow Format). We are guided by UN Security Council Resolution 2593 and we have always wanted an inclusive government as well as respect for women rights and various other requirements,” Bagchi stated.
India was represented at the multilateral forum by Pavan Kapoor, New Delhi’s Ambassador to Moscow.
Bagchi refused to say if the Indian delegation held any meeting with the Taliban* delegation, which was headed by interim Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Bagchi refused to say if the Indian delegation held any meeting with the Taliban* delegation, which was headed by interim Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Like other governments, India is yet to recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan till the Taliban fulfils its commitments to form an inclusive government, respect rights of minorities, lifts restrictions on participation of women in public life as well as crack down on terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.
Taliban Asked to Dismantle Terror Infrastructure
The Moscow Format talks in Kazan were also attended by representatives from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkiye and the UAE, who were present as “guests of honour”, according to a statement by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
The ‘Kazan Declaration’ released after the multilateral talks called upon the Taliban to “dismantle, eliminate and prevent placement of all sorts of terrorist groups based in Afghanistan” as well as take steps from keep terrorism from spready to regional states.
The joint communique also appreciated Taliban’s ongoing efforts to crack down on Daesh** terrorist networks present in Afghanistan.
The statement expressed regret on the failure of Afghanistan to form a “truly inclusive government”.
It also urged the Taliban authorities to “respect the fundamental rights and freedoms in Afghanistan”, including the rights of women and minority communities.
Most of the participating countries also called upon the US-led western allies to shoulder the “responsibility for post-conflict reconstruction of the country and unfreeze the Afghan national assets”.
They stressed on the need to continue providing humanitarian assistance to Afghan population without politicization, according to the statement.
*under UN sanctions
**banned terrorist group in Russia and globally