New Delhi holds talks with Taliban government

The meeting conducted in Dubai sought to boost ties between the two countries, the Indian Foreign Ministry said

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met the Afghan Taliban’s acting foreign minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Dubai on Wednesday to discuss strengthening ties in areas such as humanitarian aid, trade, regional security, and key development projects, according to an official statement. 

The two nations discussed India’s ongoing humanitarian assistance program, while New Delhi said it would provide further material support, primarily to the healthcare sector and for the rehabilitation of refugees.

Over the past few years, New Delhi has already sent numerous shipments of aid, including 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 300 tonnes of medicine, 100 million polio vaccine doses, and 1.5 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Foreign Ministry. Sports, in particular cricket, which is very popular in both countries, featured in the talks, with both sides agreeing to strengthen sporting ties and boost collaboration. 

“Foreign Secretary underlined India’s historic friendship with the Afghan people and the strong people to people contacts between the two countries. In this context, he conveyed India’s readiness to respond to the urgent developmental needs of the Afghan people,” the Indian official statement said. 

The Afghan side acknowledged India’s regional security concerns and pledged cooperation, the statement said. Officials also discussed the India-backed development of Chabahar Port in Iran, a key link in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) connecting India with Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Russia. 

Foreign Secy @VikramMisri met Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai today.

Both sides discussed