India takes part in Tashkent meet on Afghanistan
India on Monday participated in a two-day conference hosted by Uzbekistan in its capital Tashkent to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
Attended by about 20 countries, India was represented at the conference by joint secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, in charge of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, J P Singh.
Sources said Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi is attending the conference titled ‘Afghanistan: Security and Economic Development’.
Last week, Uzbekistan had said the meeting is aimed at developing a set of measures and proposals for the approaches of the world community to promote stability, security, post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan.
It said representatives from several parts of the world, including Central and South Asia, Europe, Middle-East and the Asia-Pacific region, are participating in deliberations to find a solution to the Afghan issue.
“The conference is aimed at developing a set of measures and proposals for the approaches of the world community to promote stability, security, post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan and its integration into regional cooperation processes,” it had said in a statement.
It said the aim of the conference include forming a common position by the world community in countering terrorism, ensuring constructive dialogue between the current dispensation in Kabul and Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries.
“Our country is committed to establishing lasting peace in neighbouring Afghanistan and considers this process an important condition for achieving sustainable development in the Central Asian region,” a statement by the Uzbek government had said.
India has been in touch with several leading powers on the situation in Afghanistan.
Last month, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a “technical team” in its embassy in the Afghan capital.
In the last few months, India has sent humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
In November last year, India had hosted a regional dialogue on the situation in the country that was attended by NSAs of Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
