Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla held a meeting with US Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West on Tuesday and held extensive talks on the Taliban-led country.
‘Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla met US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West @US4AfghanPeace and exchanged views on recent developments and issues of common interest in Afghanistan,’ Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi tweeted following a high-level meet with the US diplomat.
International community must act together to be effective
Notably, West is on a trip to Europe and Asia to discuss the way forward on Afghanistan with Allies and partners. According to Republic Media sources, during the meeting, topics including recently held Regional Security Dialogue of NSAs on Afghanistan in Delhi, movement of people in and out of Afghanistan, coordinating global efforts on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, regional security issues and other bilateral as well as international issues of mutual interest were discussed. Before departing for the trip, West said the international community must act together to be effective, news agency ANI reported.
It is worth mentioning Tom West was named as the State Department’s Special Representative and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan last month. In prior roles in government, he served as Special Advisor to the Vice President for South Asia and Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the National Security Council from 2012-2015. West also met top Russian diplomats in Moscow and discussed shared interests in the war-torn country and the need for the extremist organisation to fulfil commitments to the international community.
New Delhi meeting came days after Islamabad hosted the Troika meet
Notably, the meeting was scheduled days after Islamabad hosted the Troika meeting with Russia, Pakistan, China, and the United States to discuss the issues of the war-torn country. The meeting was also attended by the senior Taliban representatives. According to the statement released by the US Embassy, the countries had expressed deep concern regarding the severe humanitarian and economic situation in the debt-ridden country and reiterated unwavering support for the people of Afghanistan. The group also called on the Taliban to ensure unhindered humanitarian access, including by women aid workers, for the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan to respond to the developing crisis.
Earlier on October 20, Russia sponsored a high-level meeting with the ten countries including the “top dignitaries” of the Taliban government. The meeting was held in Moscow format. Notably, the “Moscow format” is the six-party mechanism for consultations between special representatives from Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Iran and India.
What happened on August 15?
It is worth mentioning that a series of incidents unfolded after the Taliban captured the national capital, Kabul, on 15 August, including a bomb attack. Since the Taliban’s conquest, lakhs of desperate Afghan nationals have fled the war-torn country and taken asylum in different countries. Lakhs of people are still waiting for their turn to reach other countries.
With inputs from ANI
Image: Twitter/@MEAIndia
Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla held a meeting with US Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West on Tuesday and held extensive talks on the Taliban-led country. ‘Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla met US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West @US4AfghanPeace and exchanged views on recent developments and issues of common interest in Afghanistan,’ Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi tweeted following a high-level meet with the US diplomat. International community must act together to be effective Notably, West is on a trip to Europe and Asia to discuss the way forward on Afghanistan with Allies and partners. According to Republic Media sources, during the meeting, topics including recently held Regional Security Dialogue of NSAs on Afghanistan in Delhi, movement of people in and out of Afghanistan, coordinating global efforts on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, regional security issues and other bilateral as well as international issues of mutual interest were discussed. Before departing for the trip, West said the international community must act together to be effective, news agency ANI reported. It is worth mentioning Tom West was named as the State Department’s Special Representative and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan last month. In prior roles in government, he served as Special Advisor to the Vice President for South Asia and Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the National Security Council from 2012-2015. West also met top Russian diplomats in Moscow and discussed shared interests in the war-torn country and the need for the extremist organisation to fulfil commitments to the international community. New Delhi meeting came days after Islamabad hosted the Troika meet Notably, the meeting was scheduled days after Islamabad hosted the Troika meeting with Russia, Pakistan, China, and the United States to discuss the issues of the war-torn country. The meeting was also attended by the senior Taliban representatives. According to the statement released by the US Embassy, the countries had expressed deep concern regarding the severe humanitarian and economic situation in the debt-ridden country and reiterated unwavering support for the people of Afghanistan. The group also called on the Taliban to ensure unhindered humanitarian access, including by women aid workers, for the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan to respond to the developing crisis. Earlier on October 20, Russia sponsored a high-level meeting with the ten countries including the “top dignitaries” of the Taliban government. The meeting was held in Moscow format. Notably, the “Moscow format” is the six-party mechanism for consultations between special representatives from Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Iran and India. What happened on August 15? It is worth mentioning that a series of incidents unfolded after the Taliban captured the national capital, Kabul, on 15 August, including a bomb attack. Since the Taliban’s conquest, lakhs of desperate Afghan nationals have fled the war-torn country and taken asylum in different countries. Lakhs of people are still waiting for their turn to reach other countries. With inputs from ANI Image: Twitter/@MEAIndia