Ekip
24 October 2017•Update: 28 October 2017
By Shuriah Niazi
NEW DEHI, India
Leaders of India and Afghanistan on Tuesday expressed “firm resolve” to jointly fight against terrorism for the sake of regional peace and stability.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is on a day-long official visit to capital New Delhi on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi and Ghani held bilateral talks and discussed a wide range of issues, including steps to end the “menace of terrorism”.
After the meeting, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted: “Furthering 'neighbourhood first' policy with a strategic partner.
"Prime Minister Modi and president Ghani discussed range of bilateral, regional and global issues, express firm resolve to end menace of terrorism."
Experts said the meeting between both leaders was important given the international efforts to establish a long-lasting peace process with the Taliban.
Samir Patil, director of the Centre for International Security at the Gateway House think tank, told Anadolu Agency: “It’s important given what is currently happening in Afghanistan, both in terms of Taliban’s increasing violence in the form of more attacks as well as what is happening on the political front, where there are efforts being made by the international community to have some kind of reconciliation between the Afghan Taliban and the government.”
Patil said strengthening Afghanistan through economic assistance was a “logical strategy” of India.
Ghani later also met the Indian president and external affairs minister.
Last month, India has announced taking up 116 “high impact community developmental projects” in 31 provinces of Afghanistan.
Over and above these high impact projects, India has also offered assistance for six new projects under granting aid assistance from India. One of them is low-cost housing for returning Afghan refugees, road connectivity, national Park and economic development.
Both countries have also signed a pact in which India will train Afghan police.
India and Afghanistan have also started an air freight service to boost trade between the two countries in June this year.
India is one of the biggest donors in the region to the war-torn Afghanistan.
