India & EU hold talks on collective efforts for Afghanistan development & rights of people

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Secretary-General of European External Action Service of European Union (EU) Stefano Sannino on Tuesday, November 16 held talks on India's and the EU's collaborative approaches to development and priorities concerned with Afghanistan. 

The Indian Foreign Secretary and the EU Secretary-General pressed on the importance of restricting Afghanistan from being used as a locus for terror activities. Both parties also laid emphasis on the state of the rights of women, children, and minorities in the war-torn country.

In October, at a virtual G20 meeting, the European Commission had announced a support package worth around €1 billion for the Afghan nationals and the neighbouring countries to tackle the urgent humanitarian needs of the conflict-ravaged country. The support package was decided following the discussion held by the EU Ministers, who agreed to opt for a more calibrated approach to give direct support to the Afghan population.

Shringla-Sannino discuss Myanmar & Belarus-Poland border issues

The MEA said that Foreign Secretary Shringla and the EU Secretary-General also shared their views on developments in Myanmar. Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and shares a 1,640-kilometer-long border with a number of northeastern states, including terrorist-hit Manipur and Nagaland. The region is considered significant for its dependence on China and due to the nation being home to insurgents from northeastern India.

Foreign Secretary Shringla and Secretary-General Sannino also addressed the ongoing situation at the Belarus-Poland border. They agreed on the need to de-escalate the situation and arrive at an early resolution. Hundreds of asylum seekers, especially from conflict-ridden Arab states, have been trying to enter the European Union through Poland. As per the Polish Border Agency, more than 16,000 attempts have been made to illegally cross the border since August. But, with wildlands and freezing temperatures, scores of migrants continue to die. In the most recent development, the Belarusian administration, which has been accused of ‘regional terrorism’ has threatened to cut gas to Europe via a major pipeline that connects the continent to its biggest supplier, Russia.

India, US discuss humanitarian crisis under Taliban rule

Earlier in the day, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla held a meeting with US Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, and held extensive talks on the Taliban-led country. According to Republic Media sources, topics of the meeting included discussions on the Regional Security Dialogue of NSAs on Afghanistan in Delhi, movement of people in and out of Afghanistan, coordinating global efforts on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, regional security issues and other bilateral as well as international issues of mutual interest.

NSA's strategic meet on Afghanistan

Pertinently, Afghanistan has been a matter of concern for India ever since the country was seized by the Taliban in August this year. The National Security Advisors (NSAs) meet chaired by NSA Ajit Doval and those of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, after deliberation on Afghanistan on November 10, issued the Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the NSAs especially discussed the security situation and its regional and global ramifications. The sides paid special attention to the current political situation in Afghanistan and threats arising from terrorism, radicalisation, and drug trafficking as well as the need for humanitarian assistance.

(With Inputs from ANI)

Image: PTI, AP, Twitter/@SanninoEU