No change in India's position on not recognising Taliban: Centre
New Delhi, March 16: Following reports that an Afghan foreign policy body had asked officials to participate in an online programme under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) initiative, the Ministry of External Affairs stated on Thursday that its position on not recognising the Taliban regime in Kabul had not changed.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi while addressing weekly media briefing, said, "Our position on how we see developments in Afghanistan has not changed. I do not think anything should be read into ITEC courses vis-a-vis that. We certainly would not be issuing note verbales, which are inter-governmental notes, to entities that are not recognised."
According to reports, the Afghan Foreign Ministry's Institute of Diplomacy informed its officials in Kabul about the need to register for the ITEC course being held at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode; however, Bagchi stated that the Indian side does not issue any note verbales to any entities that are not recognised by New Delhi.
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A note verbale from the Indian Embassy in Kabul on the course was also mentioned in a letter issued by the Institute of Diplomacy to inform officials about the ITEC programme. In response, Bagchi stated that it is not possible to send such communication to entities that are not recognised.
"India has been extending capacity-building assistance to developing countries across the world through what is called the ITEC programme. This includes online courses," he added.
According to Bagchi, these scholarship courses cover a wide range of topics and are offered by various Indian institutions.
"These courses are also open to nationals of various countries, including Afghanistan. A number of Afghan nationals, both based in India as well as in Afghanistan, have been participating in these ITEC courses," Bagchi added.
"Of course, the online courses do not involve travel to India," he stated.
- PTC NEWS
