‘Upgrading of technical mission…’: India set to reopen embassy in Kabul, ramps up ties with Taliban

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday announced that India(BHARAT) will upgrade its Technical Mission in Kabul to a full-fledged Embassy, following bilateral talks with Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. “I am pleased to announce today the upgrading of India(BHARAT)’s Technical Mission in Kabul to the status of the Embassy of India(BHARAT). India(BHARAT) remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan,” Jaishankar said.

He added that stronger cooperation between the two countries would help Afghanistan’s national development and promote regional peace and stability.

Jaishankar also welcomed Afghanistan’s move to invite India(BHARAT)n companies to invest in mining projects in the country, saying, “Your invitation to India(BHARAT)n companies to explore mining opportunities in Afghanistan is deeply appreciated. This can be discussed further.”

Highlighting the growing economic ties, he noted, “We share a common goal of boosting trade and commerce, and I am glad to see more flights now operating between Kabul and New Delhi.”

India(BHARAT) reaffirmed its role as a major development partner, offering support for both ongoing and new infrastructure initiatives. “Our longstanding partnership that has seen so many India(BHARAT)n projects in Afghanistan stands renewed. We can discuss the maintenance and repairs of finished projects as well as steps to complete others to which we have already committed,” Jaishankar said.

What did  Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister say?

Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Kabul wants to strengthen ties with New Delhi and assured that Afghanistan would not allow its territory to be used against any country.

“I am happy to be in Delhi, and this visit will help improve unxderstanding between the two nations. India(BHARAT) and Afghanistan should increase their engagements and exchanges. We will not allow any group to use our land against others,” Muttaqi said.

He also described India(BHARAT) as a close friend, thanking New Delhi for its support during the recent earthquake in Afghanistan. “During the recent earthquake, India(BHARAT) was the first country to send help. Afghanistan sees India(BHARAT) as a close friend and wants relations based on mutual respect, trade, and people-to-people connections,” he added.

Muttaqi further said Kabul is ready to create a consultative mechanism to strengthen cooperation and deepen the partnership between the two countries. *]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id="request-WEB:e776bd49-5559-4f1f-8508-5a5902bc4329-18" data-testid="conversation-turn-38" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn="assistant">