Raisina Dialogue 2020: Afghan NSA Hamdullah Mohib calls India a 'key partner'

Afghanistan's NSA Hamdullah Mohib on Wednesday called India its 'key partner' stating that opening of air freight corridor has 'increased' trade between New Delhi and Kabul.

India and Afghanistan established the first air freight corridor connecting Kabul to New Delhi in June 2017, with an aim to improve landlocked Afghanistan's connectivity to key markets abroad and boost the growth prospects of its dry fruits and carpet industries. 

"With India, we have increased trade significantly, by opening the air trade corridor. India has been a key partner, able to recognise and share our vision for a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan," said Mohib during his address at Raisina Dialogue 2020.

Raisina Dialogue 2020 is India's annual global conference on geopolitics and geo-economics. The conference kicked off on Tuesday in Delhi in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Furthermore, Mohib highlighted the condition in Afghanistan stating the ceasefire to be the only solution to bring peace and added that the Afghan government looks forwards to 2020 with hope.

"In the midst of conflict, we continue to think positively and creatively. We continue to passionately and practically pursue peace. We continue to strengthen our democracy. We look to this year with hope," Mohib said.

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PM Modi's Leadership praised 

World leaders who participated in the Raisina Dialogue on Tuesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and vision with respect to a range of global issues. 

Addressing the inaugural session, former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that he would like to see India as a 'strong component' of the global alliance of democracies and appreciates Prime Minister Modi's leadership in that respect.

"I would like to see India as a strong component of the global alliance of democracies. I appreciate very much the leadership of Prime Minister Modi in that respect. I hope we could engage India much more internationally in the coming years," Rasmussen said.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who majorly spoke about liberal democracies coping with political protests in their own countries, heaped praises over PM Modi for making India 'self-defined'. 

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(With Inputs from ANI)