Afghanistan looks at India as a close friend...: Taliban foreign minister Muttaqi meets Jaishankar in Delhi
Muttaqi assures India that Afghanistan will not allow any group to use its territory to target another country
PTC Web Desk: In a landmark diplomatic engagement, Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi on Friday, marking the first high-level dialogue between India and the Taliban regime since it seized power in August 2021.
During the meeting, Muttaqi assured India that Afghanistan would not allow any group to use its territory to target another country, reiterating the Taliban government’s commitment to regional peace. “In the recent earthquake in Afghanistan, India was the first responder. Afghanistan looks at India as a close friend. We want relations based on mutual respect, trade, and people-to-people ties. We are ready to create a consultative mechanism to strengthen our relations,” he said.
Expressing optimism about his visit, Muttaqi added, “I am happy to be in Delhi, and this visit will increase understanding between the two countries. India and Afghanistan should enhance their engagements and exchanges... We will not allow any group to use our territory against others.”
Muttaqi’s six-day India trip follows his participation in a multilateral meeting on Afghanistan held in Russia earlier this week, attended by officials from China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. His travel was made possible after he obtained a temporary exemption from the UN Security Council Committee, as he remains under sanctions that include travel bans and asset freezes.
In a major development, S Jaishankar also announced that India will reopen its embassy in Kabul, which was shut four years ago following the Taliban takeover and the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces.
India had maintained only a small mission in Kabul since 2022 to handle humanitarian aid, medical assistance, and trade-related matters. Currently, over 10 countries , including China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey , have embassies functioning in the Afghan capital.
Highlighting the growing engagement, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), welcomed Muttaqi on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), saying, “We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues.”