Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah had substantive meetings with the Indian leadership in New Delhi on Thursday in order to boost trade and investment between the two nations.
Dr. Abdullah met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the two leaders focussed on regional cooperation and on the implementation of new development projects in Afghanistan. Sources have told India Today that the two leaders also discussed ‘cross-border terrorism’, an area of grave concern to both the nations. This comes days after India and Afghanistan took on Pakistan at the United Nations in New York and exposed Pakistan’s complicity with many terror networks.
The meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah took place on Thursday afternoon where both leaders “reaffirmed the strength and closeness of the multi-faceted strategic partnership” between India and Afghanistan.
The two sides signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for Technical Cooperation on Police Training and Development. There has been a lot of emphasis on training of security personnel in Afghanistan.
A statement by the Prime Minister’s Office said that the two sides “welcomed the accelerated cooperation, including through recent announcement of a New Development Partnership during the meeting of the bilateral Strategic Partnership Council in New Delhi. They discussed enhancing bilateral economic and development cooperation and the abundant opportunities in this regard.”
Dr. Abdullah conveyed Afghanistan’s deep appreciation for India’s continuing support for infrastructure development and capacity building in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister reiterated India’s commitment to extending full support to Afghanistan’s efforts for building a peaceful, united, prosperous, inclusive and democratic Afghanistan, the statement said.
Security was paramount in talks between the Chief Executive of Afghanistan with the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister, the focus being safe havens and terrorism that both countries face from across the border. “The two leaders exchanged views on the security environment in Afghanistan and the extended region, and, in this context, agreed to continue close coordination and cooperation”, the statement said.
Source: India today
