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National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at the 5th Multilateral Security Dialogue on Afghanistan, in Moscow, on February 8.
| Photo Credit: ANI
India reiterated its call for an “inclusive and representative” government in Afghanistan on Wednesday, with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval declaring that the people of Afghanistan were among India’s “foremost priorities”.
He was speaking at the ‘5th Regional Dialogue on Afghanistan’ being held in Moscow. Addressing the delegates, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was in contact with the Taliban rulers in Kabul, adding that large economic projects are underway in Afghanistan that could “stabilise the situation in the economy”.
In his remarks, Mr. Doval highlighted India’s “historical and special relationship” with Afghanistan and said that the “well-being and humanitarian needs of the people of Afghanistan” would “continue to guide” India’s policy towards Kabul. He highlighted the heightened threat of terrorism because of the presence of terror groups like Daesh, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in the Af-Pak region and sought security cooperation between the member states in the dialogue. He emphasised that Afghan territory should not be used for terrorism and that the natural resources of Afghanistan should be utilised “first for the welfare of Afghanistan”.
‘Representative regime needed’
India has not recognised the Taliban administration in Kabul. However, a technical team stationed at the Indian embassy in the Afghan capital has been overseeing the humanitarian assistance that India has been providing over the past year. Mr. Doval’s presentation stated that “an inclusive and representative dispensation is in the larger interest of Afghan society”.
His remarks came days after the India’s Union Budget presentation, which allocated ₹200 crore for the development and humanitarian needs of the Afghan people.
The meeting was also attended by Mr. Doval’s counterparts from Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The third round of the dialogue had been held in Delhi under the chairmanship of Mr. Doval in November 2021.
‘Stay vigilant on terror’
The visiting delegates met Mr. Putin who cautioned that the world should not underplay the significance of the Afghan conflict because of other disturbances that are taking place elsewhere. “Obviously, there is a lot of potential for conflict in the world today. There are many conflicts here, not far from Russia, including on the Ukrainian track. We are well aware and we realise this perfectly well, but this does not reduce the significance of the situation in Afghanistan. This has always been important for us and now it is important more than ever before because we do not want more points of tension on our southern borders,” said the Russian President.
Mr. Putin said that the world should be vigilant for terror groups that are trying to use Afghan territory for international terrorist activisties. “International terrorist organisations are stepping up their activities, including al-Qaeda which is building up its potential,” he said, adding that the world should not allow “extra-regional forces to expand or build their infrastructure” in Afghanistan.
Apart from Mr. Doval, the meeting was attended by the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Security Council of Kazakhstan Gizat Nurdauletov, Secretary of the Security Council of the Kyrgyz Republic Marat Imankulov, Chinese ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui, Secretary of the Security Council of Tajikistan Nasrullo Mahmudzoda, Turkmenistan’s envoy to Russia Batyr Niyazliyev, and Secretary of the Security Council of Uzbekistan Victor Makhmudov. The Russian hosts were represented by Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev and Mr. Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov.
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