India and Afghanistan are committed to maintaining peace and prosperity in the region

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met Afghan leader and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah on Friday and held wide ranging talks on bilateral and regional issues.

“Pleased to meet Chairman HCNR @DrabdullahCE. A good discussion on our bilateral cooperation and regional issues. Welcomed his insights and perspectives on recent developments. As a neighbor, India remains committed to peace, prosperity, and stability in Afghanistan,” said Jaishankar in a tweet.



During the meeting, both sides also exchanged their views on the Afghan peace process.

“As always pleased to meet HE @DrSJaishankar, the External Affairs Minister of India. We exchanged views on the #AfghanPeaceProcess, bilateral relations, & regional support for peace efforts. He assured me of India’s full support for peace in Afghanistan,” Abdullah Abdullah tweeted.



Last time, both leaders met virtually during the intra-Afghanistan peace talks held in Doha. Jaishankar had reiterated support for Afghanistan by saying that the peace process must be “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled”, must “respect national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan”, and “promote human rights and democracy.”

On Thursday, Abdullah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he appreciated Indian’s developmental commitment of US$ 3 billion, projects under which are benefiting Afghans across all of its 34 provinces, and both leaders committed to strengthening bilateral ties.

“Pleased to meet HE Narendra Modi @narendramodi, the Prime Minister of Republic of #India. In our friendly discussion we took stock of the latest developments on the #AfghanPeaceProcess, the talks in Doha, & India’s support for the peace efforts,” Abdullah tweeted after the meeting.

The Afghan leader arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday. A day after, he held discussions with India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval where the latter raised concerns over violence in Afghanistan.

India, Afghanistan relationship is not limited to high-level exchanges between the governments of the two sides, but has its foundations in the historical contacts between the people.