Security Czars of Russia, Iran and Five Central Asian countries will reach Delhi chaired the “Delhi Regional Security Dialogue” on Afghanistan on Tuesday National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, who will also meet their counterparts bilaterally.
The officials involved in the talks told in the meeting, which Pakistan and China have refused to participate, will seek to build a consensus on the way forward to deal with threats and share the “common understanding of concerns” shared by Afghanistan’s neighbors due to the Taliban takeover on August 15.
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“The High-Level Dialogue will discuss measures to address relevant security challenges and support the people of Afghanistan in promoting peace, security and stability. India has called for a unified international response to address the security and humanitarian challenges facing Afghanistan,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement, referring to India’s traditional “close and friendly relations” with the people of Afghanistan. said in.
Officials said the Chinese security chief had said he could not attend due to “scheduling difficulties”, apparently due to the CPC Central Committee’s plenum this week, as well as strict quarantine rules in China. Pakistan’s NSA publicly declined the invitation. Officials said it had also refused to participate in previous iterations of regional NSA talks held in Iran in 2018 and 2019 as it did not want to share the stage with India.
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No invitation was sent to the Taliban or former leaders like Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, officials said.
Over the past few months, Mr. Doval has engaged with each of the other security chiefs at various bilateral and multilateral summits, and these common threats include terrorism inside Afghanistan and its cross-border spread, concerns about Taliban ideology, radicalization and extremism. Are included. Problems stemming from large caches of military equipment left behind by exports, US and NATO forces leaving Afghanistan, cross-border migration and refugees, as well as growing concerns over the production and export of drugs from the country, the officials noted.
In addition, the sources said that the participating countries had not “legalized” the Taliban regime, and had Pakistan as one of the “sources of problems” in Afghanistan, with a “serious credibility gap” between its actions and intentions. shared a common belief of After the establishment of the Taliban’s “Interim Government” with the support of Pakistan, it was felt that New Delhi’s role as a major development and trade partner for Kabul diminished, but officials said that all participating countries India were “eager” to host the conference. , to reinforce its “importance” in tackling the challenges.
“Each of these countries say bilaterally that there is convergence on concerns, the points of concern are very similar. Also our objectives in Afghanistan – we talk about diversity, respect minority rights, a culture of restraint and rational thought, all these other countries share with us,” the sources said. However, officials acknowledged that there are some differences of opinion among the participants, noting that Russia and Iran maintain embassies in Kabul, while countries such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan hold bilateral talks with Taliban ministers on issues such as connectivity.
Limited talks with Kabul
Indian officials have had limited talks with the regime in Kabul, and have only met officially with the Taliban leadership twice. Given security concerns, the government has not allowed Afghan refugees in large numbers, including members of resistance or opposition to the Taliban. New Delhi has not announced any monetary aid for Afghanistan at donor conferences, and Pakistan has turned down its offer to send wheat and medicines by road to Afghanistan. According to an official, India still maintains a “small team” in Kabul in Kabul.
“Our engagement with the Taliban is in line with our own national needs and interests, so we will not imitate others. That decision should be left to the government,” said an official in response to a question. Hindu.
The conference will take place in Delhi on Wednesday morning, but officials said Tuesday-Thursday stays were being planned for the visiting delegations. Mr Doval will meet his counterparts from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on Tuesday itself, and others will meet after the plenary session of regional talks on Wednesday morning. Some delegations will travel to Amritsar and Agra, officials said, adding that Mr Doval will host them for a musical evening and dinner on Wednesday. All the eight participants will also jointly call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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