Hyderabad: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday (IST) said India is keeping a close watch on the situation in Kabul after the Taliban captured Afghanistan's capital recently. He said India's focus is on ensuring the safe return of its countrymen.
"At this point of time, we're looking at what is the situation in Kabul. Obviously, Taliban and its representatives have come to Kabul. So, we need to take it on from there," Jaishankar said at a press conference after attending the UNSC meeting in New York on Wednesday (local time). He said, "At the moment, we are, like everybody else, very carefully following developments in Afghanistan. Our focus is on ensuring security in Afghanistan and the safe return of Indian nationals."
Also read: India very carefully' following developments in Afghanistan: EAM Jaishankar
When asked about the huge investments made by India in the war-torn nation, Jaishankar said the investments reflected India's historical relationship with the people of Afghanistan. "That relation with Afghan people obviously continues. That will guide our approach to Afghanistan in the coming days." Since long, India has enjoyed friendly diplomatic ties with Afghanistan and had played an active role in the nation rebuilding process in Afghanistan since early 2000. India provided much-needed developmental assistance — both in terms of investments and bilateral trade — to the currently war-torn nation, having invested more than $3 billion. This includes investments in over 400 infrastructure projects across all provinces
On Tuesday, Jaishankar met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and held discussions on Afghanistan. "Good to meet UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres. Our discussions focused on Afghanistan, following upon the Security Council meeting yesterday," Jaishankar tweeted.
