New Delhi: India has received an invitation to Moscow format meeting in Afghanistan on October 20 and will participate in deliberations, the external ministry said on Thursday.
This will be the first Moscow format dialog since takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August.
While India has the first formal contact with the Taliban in Doha on August 31, Moscow format is likely to be the first formal contact between New Delhi and the Taliban government after the temporary cabinet was announced by them.
Asked about the meeting, spokesman for the external ministry Arinindam Bagchi said, “We have received an invitation to Moscow’s format meeting in Afghanistan on October 20.
We will participate in it.” “I don’t have a final confirmation about who will be present but the possibility we will have (participation) at the same level of secretary,” he said.
Russia has held talks ‘Moscow’ since 2017 to discuss Afghan issues.
Several talks of talks have been held in Moscow since 2017.
In every Indian humanitarian aid expanding or extending to Afghanistan, Bagchi said Indian policy against Afghanistan was guided by his friendship with Afghans.
India in the past provided assistance both for infrastructure and for humanitarian purposes, he said.
“Come specifically for humanitarian assistance you will remember that the UN Secretary General has held a meeting on the subject on September 13 where the Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar participated.
In the intervention …
our approach to the problem of humanitarian assistance is very clear,” he said.
“This includes India’s willingness to continue to stand by Afghans, the need for an international community to create an enabling environment, which is not blocked, unlimited and direct access to the provider of humanitarian assistance and non-discriminatory distribution,” Bagchi said.