Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Friday met Iran’s new President, Ebrahim Raisi, in Tehran on the sidelines of Raisi’s swearing-in ceremony.
The Iranian President’s office stated that following the meeting, Iran would welcome India’s role in stabilising the situation in Afghanistan in the wake of the United States (US) troops’ withdrawal from the war-torn country. “Iran and India can play a constructive and useful role in ensuring security in the region, especially Afghanistan, and Tehran welcome New Delhi’s role in [the] establishment of security in Afghanistan…The fate of Afghanistan must be decided by the Afghans themselves, and we believe that if the Americans do not sabotage the situation, this issue will be resolved quickly,” the statement read.
The two sides also identified new technologies and commercial areas to promote India-Iran ties. “There are various sectors, especially in the economic and commercial fields, as well as new technologies, that we should use to promote the level of our relations,” Raisi was quoted as saying by The Mint.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Jaishankar in a tweet after the meeting, saying that he “looked forward to working” with the new President’s administration. “A warm meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi after his assumption of office. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM [Modi]. His commitment to strengthening our bilateral relationship was manifest. So too was the convergence in our regional interests,” he added.
Meanwhile, Qatari Special Envoy for Counterterrorism and Mediation of Conflict Resolution Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani, who played a key role in the Afghan peace process, arrived in New Delhi on a two-day visit on Friday. On the first day of his visit, he met J.P Singh, the Joint Secretary in the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the Ministry of External Affairs. The diplomat also held a meeting with Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla on Saturday.
“Rapid deterioration of the security situation is a serious matter. A peaceful and stable Afghanistan requires that the rights and interests of all sections of society are promoted and protected,” Jaishankar said following the meeting.
Both the meetings come against the backdrop of escalating Taliban-led violence in Afghanistan. Amid the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan since May 1, the Taliban has been making rapid advances across the country by inflicting widespread violence, shifting attacks from rural areas to key cities and provincial capitals such as Herat, Kandahar, Lashkargah, Zaranj and Sheberghan. As a key stakeholder in Afghanistan’s stability, India has been holding a series of talks with countries of the region and other leading players on the fast-evolving situation.
Indian EAM Jaishankar Meets with Iranian and Qatari Counterparts to Discuss Afghanistan
Indian EAM S. Jaishankar expressed concern at the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan during high-level meetings with Qatari and Iranian diplomats.
August 9, 2021
SOURCE: PTI