India on Wednesday hosted senior security officials from Russia, Iran and the five Central Asian countries to discuss the situation in neighboring Afghanistan following the fall of the U.S.-backed government and the Taliban takeover of the country.
At the 3rd Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan held on Wednesday in New Delhi, the National Security Advisers / Secretaries of the National Security Councils of the Republic of India emphasized that the Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning, or financing any terrorist acts.
Apart from the NSA, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan also participated in the meeting.
The participants discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan, especially the security situation and its regional and global ramifications. The sides paid special attention to the current political situation in Afghanistan and threats arising from terrorism, radicalization, and drug trafficking as well as the need for humanitarian assistance.
The NSA/Secretaries of the National Security Councils during the dialogue:
- Reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure, and stable Afghanistan while emphasizing the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs.
- Expressed deep concern over the suffering of the people of Afghanistan arising from the security situation in Afghanistan and condemned the terrorist attacks in Kunduz, Kandahar, and Kabul.
- Emphasized that Afghanistan’s territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning, or financing any terrorist acts.
- Condemned in the strongest terms all terrorist activities and reaffirmed their firm commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including its financing, the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure, and countering radicalization, to ensure that Afghanistan would never become a safe haven for global terrorism.
- Called for collective cooperation against the menace of radicalization, extremism, separatism, and drug trafficking in the region.
- Stressed the necessity of forming an open and truly inclusive government that represents the will of all the people of Afghanistan and has representation from all sections of their society, including major ethnopolitical forces in the country. Inclusion of all sections of the society in the administrative and political structure is imperative for the successful national reconciliation process in the country.
- Recalling the relevant UN Resolutions on Afghanistan, the participants noted that the United Nations has a central role to play in Afghanistan and that its continued presence in the country must be preserved.
- Emphasized the importance of ensuring that the fundamental rights of women, children, and minority communities are not violated.
- Expressed concern over the deteriorating socio-economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, and underlined the need to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
- Reiterated that humanitarian assistance should be provided in an unimpeded, direct, and assured manner to Afghanistan and that the assistance is distributed within the country in a non-discriminatory manner across all sections of the Afghan society.
- Reiterated commitment to provide assistance to Afghanistan to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- Reiterated the importance of their dialogue and agreed to remain engaged with each other in the future.
The participants thanked the Republic of India for holding the Third Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan in New Delhi. The participants agreed to hold the next round in 2022.
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