New Delhi, Jul 26 (PTI) A range of challenges confronting Afghanistan including security, stability and the road to recovery from the fragile economic situation topped the agenda of a two-day conference on the Afghan crisis in Tashkent that concluded on Tuesday.
India was among around 20 countries which participated in the deliberations.
Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi represented the Taliban dispensation at the conference.
People familiar with the development said a senior Indian official attended the deliberations and clarified that India was not represented by JP Singh, the external affairs ministry’s point person for Afghanistan, as reported earlier.
“I am confident that this event will contribute to the development of joint approaches of the international community, both on the issues of promoting stability, security, recovery of the national economy of Afghanistan,” Uzbek Foreign Minister V Norov said in his remarks at the conference.
“I would like to emphasize the key importance of the post-crisis development of Afghanistan for the entire system of international and regional security,” he said.
Norov said Uzbekistan is interested in the development of Afghanistan as a peaceful, independent and prosperous state.
Ahead of the conference, the Uzbek foreign ministry said the aim of the conference include forming a common position by the world community in countering terrorism and ensuring constructive dialogue between the current dispensation in Kabul and Afghanistan’s neighbours.
India has been in touch with several leading powers on the situation in Afghanistan.
Last month, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a “technical team” in its embassy in the Afghan capital.
India had withdrawn its officials from the embassy after the Taliban seized power last August following concerns over their security.
The reopening of the embassy came weeks after an Indian team led by Singh visited Kabul and met Muttaqi and some other members of the Taliban dispensation.
In the meeting, the Taliban side had assured the Indian team that adequate security will be provided if India sends its officials to the embassy in Kabul.
India has not recognised the new regime in Afghanistan and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul besides insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.
In the last few months, India supplied several consignments of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
India has been pitching for providing unimpeded humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the country.
Concerned over developments in Afghanistan, India hosted a regional dialogue on the situation in the country last November that was attended by NSAs of Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The participating countries vowed to work towards ensuring that Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for global terrorism and called for the formation of an “open and truly inclusive” government in Kabul with representation from all sections of Afghan society.