New Delhi: India participated in a regional conference hosted by the Taliban in Kabul Monday, which was viewed as the first meeting that addressed mutual regional interest in Afghanistan.
The meeting was attended by representatives and ambassadors from 11 neighbouring and regional countries. Other countries that reportedly attended the conference included China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan.
The head of India’s technical mission in Kabul attended the meeting, sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told ThePrint.
In a social media post, Afghanistan’s acting deputy spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hafiz Zia Ahmad, quoted India’s representative to the conference as saying that New Delhi “actively” plays a role in international and regional initiatives regarding Afghanistan and supports the stability and development of the Central Asian country.
India does not officially recognise the Taliban regime but has maintained a “technical mission” in Kabul since June 2022. Last March, Taliban officials attended an online training course organised under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) — which functions under the MEA.
The meeting in Kabul comes ahead of a UN-organised conference on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar, which is scheduled for 18-19 February. The UN Secretary-General usually chairs the meeting, and the Taliban was not invited to last year’s conference.
“The timing of this meeting is strategic. Taliban is conducting outreach to regional players ahead of the UN chief’s meeting in Doha. They want sanctions lifted and are counting on regional pressure, especially from Russia and China, to provide them relief,” Raj Kumar Sharma, senior research fellow at Delhi-based think tank NatStrat, told ThePrint.
Addressing Monday’s meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi pushed for “building a positive narrative for engagement”, enhancing connectivity for regional economic development and advocating for the removal of Western sanctions on the Taliban regime, according to local Afghan reports.
“Grabbing this opportunity and initiative, also through the remaining regional mechanisms such as Afghanistan’s neighboring countries ministerial meeting or the Moscow format, we hope to succeed in reaching a regional consensus that preserves all actor’s interests,” he posted on social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter).
Indonesia’s representative, as quoted by the acting Afghanistan foreign ministry, urged that the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate become “an active part of the international community”.
Regional cooperation is the stepping stone for international cooperation. We can not make progress without each other.
Our demands is that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan becomes an active part of the international community.
Indonesian Representative pic.twitter.com/nSwmJO1PRU
— Hafiz Zia Ahmad (@HafizZiaAhmad) January 29, 2024
After the Taliban grabbed power in Afghanistan in August 2021, following a withdrawal of US troops from the country, Washington and several other Western powers have slapped economic and travel sanctions on Taliban officials.
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‘No need for UN envoy’
While addressing the conference, Muttaqi reportedly stated that Afghanistan has problems like any other country. The country has been the target of occupations, foreign interventions and civil wars for nearly half a century.
According to a report by Afghan news outlet Amu TV, Muttaqi said his country does not require a United Nations (UN) special representative.
“Afghanistan, having endured prolonged conflicts and now achieving peace, security, and stability, doesn’t need another UN special representative with UNAMA already present,” Muttaqi was quoted as saying.
Roza Otunbayeva is the current special representative as well as the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
According to Sharma, Muttaqi’s remarks on the UN special representative is “unsurprising” as the Taliban sees the UN as a creation of the West.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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