Updated 16 September 2020 at 02:28 IST
Afghanistan leader Mohammed Haneef Atmar thanks India for its commitment to Afghan peace
Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar expressed the war-torn nation's gratefulness to India for its commitment and solidarity on Sunday
- World News
- 2 min read
Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar expressed the war-torn nation's gratefulness to India for its commitment and solidarity on Sunday, September 13. Taking to Twitter, Atmar thanked MEA S Jaishankar and the Ministry of External Affairs for reaffirming India’s support for peace and prosperity in Afghanistan.
My sincere appreciation to HE EAM @DrSJaishankar and @MEAIndia for reaffirming India’s support for peace and the free will of the Afghan people. We profoundly remain grateful to India’s commitment and solidarity with Afghanistan.
— Mohammed Haneef Atmar محمد حنیف اتمر (@MHaneefAtmar) September 13, 2020
Afghanistan grateful for India's role in peace process
Mohammed Haneef Atmar's statement comes amid the ongoing intra-Afghan peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban in Qatar's capital Doha. The talks began on September 12 in Qatar after the prisoner exchanges between the two sides were finally completed
The intra-Afghanistan Peace talks are being considered a diplomatic breakthrough that could potentially stabilise the war-torn country after nearly four decades of conflict. US Security of State Mike Pompeo, in a statement, said the peace talks were a historic opportunity to end the conflict in the country as the people of Afghanistan have ‘carried the burden of war for too long’.
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The start of Afghan peace talks was attended by Jaishankar through video conference and during his, address the External Affairs Minister stated that the peace process should focus on the rights of minorities and women and should also be Afghan-led. He also added that Afghanistan’s territorial integrity should be maintained at all costs and that Afghan soil should not be used for anti-India activities.
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Addressed the conference on Afghan peace negotiations at Doha today. Conveyed that the peace process must:
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 12, 2020
• Be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled
• Respect national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan
• Promote human rights and democracy pic.twitter.com/wFG3E2OVlJ
The Intra-Afghan peace talks were also attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who flew out to Qatar for the talks. Back in February the US and the Taliban had come to an agreement wherein the US committed to reducing its troop count in Afghanistan while the government and Taliban agreed tp exchange a pre-determined number of prisoners, after which peace talks between the parties began.
Published By : Shubham Bose
Published On: 14 September 2020 at 01:02 IST