NEW DELHI: India will be present at the intra-Afghan talks ceremony that will happen in a short while
from now. The ceremony starts the process of negotiations between the Afghan government and the
Taliban. India will be present along with around 30 other countries at the ceremony.
All the countries that border Afghanistan have been invited, including Iran, Pakistan and many central
Asian countries. An official negotiations will start on Monday.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will join the ceremony virtually while Joint Secretary, Pakistan
Afghanistan and Iran (PAI) division in ministry of external affairs, JP singh will be present physically.
Earlier this year, India was present at the signing of US-Taliban deal which was signed on February 29,
2020 in Doha. The then Indian envoy in Doha P Kumaran had represented India.
India is Afghanistan’s major development partner and has built and has built India-Afghanistan friendship
dam in the western province of Herat and the Afghan Parliament in capital Kabul.
The Afghan government’s negotiating delegation left for Doha on Friday to start peace negotiations with
the Taliban group. The Afghan government will be represented by Chairman of the High Council for
National Reconciliation Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif
Atmar, Afghan President’s Special Representative on Peace Affairs Abdul Salam Rahimi and State
Minister for Peace Affairs Seyed Sa’adat Mansour Naderi.
The Afghan government in a statement said, “President Ghani wishes success for the negotiating
delegation of the Afghan Government on their mission to bring sustainable peace and stability to the
country.”
The Taliban said, “In line with the agreement signed between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the
United States of America, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan would like to declare its readiness to
partake in the inauguration ceremony of Intra-Afghan Negotiations”.
The United States welcomed the announcement of Afghanistan peace negotiations, saying, “This
opportunity must not be squandered.”
US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo is in Qatar to attend the opening ceremony of Afghanistan
peace negotiations.
