Afghan FM Muttaqi in India for week-long visit to boost bilateral, regional dialogue

New Delhi: Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for an official visit to India, focused on discussing the bilateral ties and regional matters.

Welcoming the Afghan Foreign Minister on his arrival, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) took to X, stating, “We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues.”

Muttaqi will be in India till October 16.

During his visit, the visiting Afghan minister is likely to call on External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.

Muttaqi was supposed to visit India a few weeks ago, but had failed to receive a travel ban exemption from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Last week, addressing a media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the UNSC Committee granted an exemption for Muttaqi’s travel to India.

“All of you would have seen the exemption that has been granted by the UN Security Council Committee for the travel of the Afghan Foreign Minister to New Delhi from October 9 to 16. This public information is in the public domain. We shall keep you updated in this regard,” Jaiswal told reporters.

Responding to a question on India’s conditions for recognising the current Taliban government, Jaiswal said, “We have been having conversations with the interim government in Afghanistan. You would have seen the telecon that had taken place some time back between the External Affairs Minister and Foreign Minister Muttaqi. Also, we’ve had a conversation between the Joint Secretary in charge and his counterparts on the Afghan side.”

New Delhi’s humanitarian assistance and infrastructure developments are expected to be among the important matters that will be discussed during the visit.

“Recently, when the earthquake happened, the same day, we were able to transport relief material to Kunar province, and subsequently we sent more relief material via Chabahar,” Jaiswal had said.

The visit follows several diplomatic engagements between New Delhi and the Taliban regime over the past few months, including Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s meeting with Muttaqi in January, earlier this year.

Several key officials from Kabul have visited New Delhi in the past few months, including Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Medicine and Food, Hamdullah Zahid, who was in India last month for the 11th edition of the International Exhibition on Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare.

IANS