India said it was reopening its embassy in Kabul after four years for “closer cooperation” with Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s foreign minister was in New Delhi on Friday as part of a six-day trip to India.
Afghanistan Foreign Minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi being welcomed on his arrival, in New Delhi on Thursday
Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi was welcomed upon his arrival in New DelhiImage: @MEAIndia X/ANI Photo
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India on Friday announced that it was reopening its embassy in Kabul, four years after it was shut following the 2021 return of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
The announcement was made by Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar during a bilateral meeting with his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi.
“I am pleased to announce today the upgrading of India’s Technical Mission in Kabul to the status of Embassy of India,” Jaishankar said.
United Nations-sanctioned Muttaqi arrived in India on Thursday for a landmark six-day visit after the UN Security Council approved travel ban exemptions for the Taliban minister.
Muttaqi’s trip to India is the first by a senior Taliban leader since the Islamist militant group retook power in Afghanistan.
The key diplomatic moves come even as New Delhi does not recognize the Taliban government.
A year after closing its embassy in Kabul, India had opened a small mission focused on facilitating trade, medical support, and humanitarian aid.
“India is fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan,” Jaishankar said
“Closer cooperation between us contributes to your national development, as well as regional stability and resilience,” he said.
The shift in New Delhi’s policy on Afghanistan also comes amid the deteriorating ties between the Taliban regime and India’s arch rival Pakistan.
