Delhi Regional Security Dialogue: Countries Stress the Need to Form Inclusive Gov't in Afghanistan
11:56 GMT 10.11.2021 (Updated: 10:40 GMT 19.07.2022)
© Photo : Indian Ministry of External Affairs
Subscribe
Since the Taliban* took over Kabul in August of this year, a series of multilateral dialogue mechanisms have been launched to discuss Afghanistan's security and a humanitarian crisis there. Pakistan will host senior diplomats from the US, China, and Russia with the participation of the Taliban's foreign minister in Islamabad on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the national security advisers (NSA) of eight regional countries - India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan - met in New Delhi at the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan.
At the meeting, the NSAs voiced strong support for a stable Afghanistan, "respect for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs". They also called to ensure that the fundamental rights of women, children and minority communities are adhered to.
Issuing a joint declaration after the event, the countries expressed deep concern over the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and condemned the terrorist attacks in Kunduz, Kandahar, and Kabul.
While the dialogue was attended by the security heads of Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, China did not participate this time, the third edition of the dialogue, due to "scheduling reasons". Pakistan had earlier refused to participate due to differences with India.
The Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan
© Photo : Indian Ministry of External Affairs
"The sides paid special attention to the current political situation in Afghanistan and threats arising from terrorism, radicalisation, and drug trafficking as well as the need for humanitarian assistance", the Delhi Declaration issued after the meeting read.
The nations emphasised that Afghan territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning, or financing any terrorist acts.
The NSAs highlighted that it is of high importance that an "open and truly inclusive government representing the will of the entire people of Afghanistan, which will include representatives of all major ethnopolitical forces" is formed in Afghanistan.
"Inclusion of all sections of society in the administrative and political structure is imperative for the successful national reconciliation process in the country", the declaration noted.
The security heads 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 Afghan society.
Introduce Much Wider Agenda: Russia
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev advised the countries holding security dialogue mechanisms on Afghanistan to avoid duplicating each other's work, but to "complement each other".
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev
© Photo : Indian Ministry of External Affairs
Patrushev hoped that the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan will be a step forward in finding common measures to ensure national security and maintain regional stability.
"We expect that the practice of holding such meetings will be continued, including by introducing other relevant regional questions in the agenda", Patrushev said at the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Wednesday.
India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval agreed with Patrushev, saying his advice will be considered when carrying out such meetings on Afghanistan.
Patrushev additionally underscored that the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan retains significant potential.
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of India Ajit Doval
© Photo : Indian Ministry of External Affairs
Ajit Doval, chairing the eight-nation dialogue, said it is time to have close consultations, greater cooperation, and coordination among the countries in the region on the Afghan situation.
"We are meeting today to discuss matters relating to Afghanistan. We all have been keenly watching the developments in that country. These have important implications not only for the people of Afghanistan but also for its neighbours and the region", Doval said.
6 November 2021, 18:41 GMT
US Must Be Held Accountable for Afghanistan Woes: Iran
Iranian Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani¸ secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, called for the US and its coalition partners to be held accountable for Afghanistan's problems. He also asked Washington and its allies to compensate Afghanistan for all the damage inflicted upon the land-locked nation during the US-led war.
He said the US had become "a lesson to all those who seek their survival in resorting to fake powers like the United States instead of relying on their own resources".
The Iranian security head also called for the participation of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan to stabilise the situation.
Tajikistan's Nasrullo Rahmatjon Mahmudzoda pointed towards the "long border with Afghanistan", and expressed worries about drug trafficking and the humanitarian crisis there.
The Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan
© Photo : Indian Ministry of External Affairs
Besides this and discussions at a special G20 session initiated by Italy and UN Security Council, several multilateral dialogues are underway on the issue of Afghanistan. A day after the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue, a Troika Plus meeting will be held in Islamabad on Thursday where special representatives of the US, China, and Russia are scheduled to meet the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. This is the first full-fledged meeting of the Troika Plus after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan, which had long relied on foreign aid, has been reeling under humanitarian and economic crises since the Taliban seized power on 15 August 2021. A UN report released this month estimated that 22.8 million people, or 55 percent of the population, are expected to be in crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity between November 2021 and March 2022.
*The organisation is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities.
