India and Taliban held the second official meeting on the sidelines of the Moscow format on Wednesday by saying the last in a statement that the Indian had “finally” stated readiness to provide extensive humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
This is the first public recognition of an official meeting with India by the Taliban.
While the Taliban was led by Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Indian delegation was led by a Joint Secretary of MEA J P Singh, who handled Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran and his colleague Adarsh Swaika, who was responsible for the Eurasian division.
Taliban also said that both parties consider it necessary to consider their respective concerns and improve economic and diplomatic relations.
Toi has reported Tuesday that even though there is a logistical problem India is considering sending 50,000 mt of wheat and medical assistance to the Afghans.
But India, India only wants the United Nations to handle distribution.
Moscow format talks sees the participation by the Taliban and 10 countries, including India, and emphasizes the needs of Afghanistan to have an inclusive government reflected, when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, the interests of all ethnicity and political power for sustainable peace and national reconciliation.
Apart from India, all the other participants also have separate meetings with the Taliban.
Moscow’s conversation also saw the Taliban reaffirming their commitment not to allow the Afghanistan region to be used against their neighbors.
“Indian envoys for the Moscow format meeting said that the Afghans need humanitarian assistance, Afghanistan will go through a difficult situation.
India is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan,” Tweeted the official spokesman for ‘Afghan Islamic Emirates’ Zabihullah’ Mujahid.
There was no official confirmation by India from the meeting until late at night but the sources admitted there was an engagement.
The Taliban continued to maintain the silence of radio for their meeting with the Indian Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal in August, their first official involvement with India.
Provision of humanitarian assistance by India, as announced by the Taliban, followed the call of PM Narendra Modi in its G20 address for urgent and direct assistance to the Afghans and inclusive administration to prevent the humanitarian crisis.
Expressing concerns about terrorist organizational activities that are prohibited in Afghanistan, participating countries also reaffirm their willingness to continue to promote security in Afghanistan to contribute to regional stability, according to a joint statement issued after the conversation.
They are happy to note, in accordance with the statement, the reaffirmation by the Interim Afghan government for the previous commitment to prevent the use of the Afghanistan region of its neighbors, other countries in the region and around the world.
Moscow format talk was also attended by, among others, China and Pakistan.
US even though it doesn’t participate on this occasion.
While official recognition was ruled out for now, participating countries called for to consider the new reality of the ruling Taliban “regardless of the official recognition of the new Afghan government”.
The meeting is expected to call for consolidation efforts to provide urgent humanitarian assistance and support Russian proposals for the United Nations Conference on the Humanitarian Crisis facing Afghanistan.
In this context, according to a shared statement, participating countries proposed a broad-based international donor conference under the United Nations as soon as possible, “of course with the understanding that the core expenses of the economic and financial reconstruction of post-conflict and the development of Afghanistan must be borne by army-based actors in this country for the past 20 years “.
In the official meeting of 2, the Taliban said India offered Afghan humanitarian assistance
