India-Central Asia Dialogue: Ministers Express Strong Support For Peaceful, Secure & Stable Afghanistan

The third India-Central Asia Dialogue, hosted by India in Delhi, was attended by the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

New Delhi: At the third India-Central Asia Dialogue on Sunday, India and five Central Asian countries called for providing immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan while they emphasised that Afghan territory must not be used for sheltering, training, planning, or financing terrorist activities.

The countries also extended their strong support for a peaceful, secure, and stable Afghanistan while stressing the need for respecting the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the war-torn country, news agency PTI reported.

The third India-Central Asia Dialogue, hosted by India in Delhi, was attended by the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Following the meeting, the participant countries issued a joint statement informing that “The ministers reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasising the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs”.

The ministers also discussed the current humanitarian situation and decided to continue to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, it added.

“The ministers reaffirmed the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021) which unequivocally demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts and called for concerted action against all terrorist groups,” the statement read.

It was also informed that the ministers agreed to continue close consultations on the situation in Afghanistan.

“While taking note of the outcome document of the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue of November 10, the ministers noted that there is a broad ‘regional consensus’ on the issues related to Afghanistan, which includes the formation of a truly representative and inclusive government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking,” the joint statement added.

It also mentioned about the UN’s role in Afghanistan while addressing the need for providing immediate humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people besides preserving the rights of women, children and other national ethnic groups.

In his opening remarks, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday called for finding ways to help the Afghan people.

“We all share deep-rooted historical and civilisational ties with Afghanistan. Our concerns and objectives in that country are similar,” he said.

He mentioned that a truly inclusive and representative government, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, ensuring unhindered humanitarian assistance and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities were among the key priorities in Afghanistan.

“We must find ways of helping the people of Afghanistan,” Jaishankar stated.

The Union External Affairs Minister also said that India is committed to take its ties with Central Asia to the next level.

He spoke about a ‘four C’ approach focusing on commerce, capacity enhancement, connectivity and contacts to further expand the cooperation between the two sides.

“Our meeting today comes amid a rapidly changing global economic and political situation. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an enormous setback to global health and to global economy,” Jaishankar said, as quoted by PTI.

(With Agency Inputs)