New York, September 22: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj discussed peace and reconciliation process with Afghanistan in her bilateral talks with Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in New York City.
India and Afghanistan have a strong relationship based on historical and cultural links. The relationship is not limited to the governments in New Delhi and Kabul, and has its foundations in the historical contacts and exchanges between the people.
In recent past, Indo-Afghan relations have been further strengthened by the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed between the two countries. As Afghanistan was undergoing three simultaneous political, security and economic transitions in 2015, India had allayed its fears about its future by making a long-term commitment to the security and development of Afghanistan.
The Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) between the two sides, inter alia, provides for assistance to help rebuild Afghanistan's infrastructure and institutions, education and technical assistance to re-build indigenous Afghan capacity in different areas, encouraging investment in Afghanistan's natural resources, providing duty free access to the Indian market for Afghanistan's exports support for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, broad-based and inclusive process of peace and reconciliation, and advocating the need for a sustained and long-term commitment to Afghanistan by the international community.
While addressing at the meet of BRICS Foreign Ministers, Sushma Swaraj said, “India strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms & manifestations. There can be no justification for any acts of terrorism”. She said that India's priority is connectivity with SCO countries, besides asserting that India wants connectivity and trust between the people.
The Minister said the situation in West Asia remains precarious and the crisis in the Gulf has further added to uncertainty. She said the spiral of violence in Afghanistan manifests the complexity of the challenge and the action and rhetoric of North Korea has been a source of growing global concern.