India is a major stakeholder at Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan slated to take place in Kazan, says expert

During the Moscow format meeting, New Delhi will focus on safeguarding its strategic interests and push for an inclusive government that upholds the rights of all sections of Afghan society, writes ETV Bharat's Chandrakala Choudhury.

New Delhi: India is all set to attend the fifth Moscow Format meeting on Afghanistan in Kazan of Russia on September 29. The meeting comes at a critical juncture, especially at a time when the world is facing geopolitical uncertainties and challenges that need special attention. The meeting is also taking place at a time when India just concluded the G20 Summit, which saw world leaders converging on one platform to deliberate on global issues, including the situation in Afghanistan.

During the Moscow Format meeting, New Delhi will focus on safeguarding its strategic interests and push for an inclusive government that upholds the rights of all sections of Afghan society. Commenting on the significance of India's participation at the Russia-curated meeting, India's former ambassador Anil Trigunayat said, "India has been part of the Moscow Format for quite some time and is a major stakeholder. Humanitarian concerns are a cause for concern, which India is addressing in accordance with the Neighbourhood First policy".

He noted that security, stability, terror groups and rights of women are important issues to be addressed by the participants at Kazan, adding, "Taliban would also be looking at some forward discussion hopefully by complying with the genuine expectations of the international community". Meanwhile, India has not officially recognised the Taliban regime, but a technical team has been deployed at the Embassy of India in Kabul to monitor and coordinate India’s efforts to provide humanitarian aid.

On India not recognising the Taliban regime, former ambassador Trigunayat opined, "No one has recognised, but most countries are dealing with Taliban. And then many countries, including China, Russia, Central Asia and some Gulf as well as India, are maintaining diplomatic mission. It's a demure vs de facto distinction that has its own nuances and implications. Also necessary to maintain incremental pressure on the Taliban."

The Moscow Format meeting, hosted by Russia, aims to call for the creation of an inclusive government in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, that represents the interests of all sections and ethnic groups. Last year in November, India joined the fourth Meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, which was held in Moscow. The Moscow Format--one of the several dialogue platforms in Afghanistan--which began before the Taliban takeover of Kabul, consists of Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and India.

The main objective is to foster political reconciliation in the landlocked and address regional security concerns. In the last few decades, India and Afghanistan have seen multiple engagements and the ties between the two countries are centered on different pillars, including large infrastructure projects; human resource development and capacity building; humanitarian assistance; community development projects; and enhancing trade and investment through connectivity.

Ever since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, India has been steadfast in providing humanitarian assistance to help the war-torn country deal with the crisis and continues to supply humanitarian assistance, including medical and food aid for the Afghan people. In this endeavour in August this year, India partnered with United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) for the internal distribution of wheat within Afghanistan.

Under this partnership, India has supplied a total of 47,500 MTs of wheat assistance to UNWFP centres in Afghanistan. The shipments were being sent through the Chabahar Port and handed over to UNWFP at Herat in Afghanistan. Following the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that India’s approach to Afghanistan continues to be guided by its historical friendship.