India Welcomes Afghan Health Minister on Debut Visit, Reaffirms 'Enduring Support' For Healthcare System

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs of India on Tuesday welcomed the Afghan Minister of Public Health, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, on his debut visit to the country.

The MEA reaffirmed India's "enduring support" for Afghanistan's healthcare system.

In a post on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, "A warm welcome to the Afghan Minister of Public Health, H.E. Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, on his first official visit to India. The visit reflects India's enduring support for Afghanistan's healthcare system, and we look forward to productive discussions."

This visit follows a series of official exchanges between the two countries. In October, Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited India for the first time since the Taliban took over in Afghanistan.

Speaking to ANI, he expressed gratitude for the reception he received, saying, "The journey has been very good so far. Not just the people of Darul Uloom, but all the people of the area have come here. I am grateful for the warm welcome they extended to me."

He added, "The future of India-Afghanistan relations seems very bright."

In November, Afghanistan's Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, visited New Delhi for a five-day official trip. During the visit, Union Minister Piyush Goyal met with Azizi to discuss enhancing economic cooperation and expanding bilateral trade.

"Our discussions reflected a shared commitment to advancing economic cooperation and expanding bilateral trade by facilitating the smoother movement of goods and investment. We reaffirmed our resolve to deepen our mutually beneficial partnership and further strengthen people-to-people ties," Goyal said.

Azizi also met officials from the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and emphasised that his visit aimed to "enhance the bilateral economic cooperation and the historical relations with India," while calling for further improvement in ties between the two nations.

(With inputs from ANI)