Indian Foreign Secretary meets Afghan Foreign Minister, assures India's support for peace

India's Foreign Secretary Harsha Vardhan Shringla on Friday met acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Haroon Chakhansuri in Kabul and extended India's support for Afghans in their pursuit of sustainable peace, security, and development.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Friday took to his official Twitter handle and informed about the meeting between India's foreign secretary and the acting Afghan Foreign Minister, and informed about both the leaders reviewing and assessing the bilateral strategic partnership between both the countries.

"Foreign Secretary conveyed India’s support for the people of Afghanistan in their pursuit of sustainable peace, security, and development," Raveesh Kumar added. 

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Foreign Secretary Harsha Vardhan meets Afghan NSA

During his Kabul visit, Foreign Secretary Harsha Vardhan Shringla also met Afghanistan's NSA Hamdullah Mohib and discussed India-Afghanistan's multifaceted strategic partnership. 

Raveesh Kumar also informed about NSA Mohib thanking the Foreign Secretary for India’s training and medical facilities for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. 

During his meeting with the NSA, Shringla highly praised the dedication and professionalism of the ANDSF in safeguarding Afghanistan’s territorial integrity under very challenging circumstances.

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Indo-Afgan meeting before US-Taliban deal

The meeting between both countries comes ahead of the deal between the United States of America and the Taliban, which has been in negotiation for over 18 months and is expected to be signed in Doha on Saturday.

Both sides are also expected to issue a joint declaration to emphasise American commitments to the war-torn country on the same day. US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg are expected to be in Kabul for the announcement of the declaration during the weekend. 

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(With ANI inputs)