Afghanistan and India agree to cooperate in fight against terrorism

NEW DELHI (SW): India and Afghanistan have agreed to strengthen bilateral ties in various sectors including the fight against terrorism.

New Delhi hosted the 2nd meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council Meeting between India and Afghanistan on Monday (September 11, 2017).

The 2nd meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council between India and Afghanistan, set up under the aegis of bilateral Strategic Partnership Agreement 2011, was held in New Delhi on 11 September 2017. External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj, and Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Salahuddin Rabbani co-chaired the meeting. During his visit, Foreign Minister Rabbani called on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

The Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister of India emphasised that the two nations enjoyed time-tested and friendly relationship and reiterated India's abiding support for a united, sovereign, democratic, peaceful, stable, prosperous and pluralistic Afghanistan. The Strategic Partnership Council discussed a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and shared understanding and convergence of views on them. The outcomes of the four Joint Working Groups in the areas of political and security issues; trade, commerce and investment; development cooperation; and human resource development, education and culture were reviewed and assessed positively.
The joint declaration noted that both sides expressed grave concern at the incidents of terror and violence in Afghanistan resulting in loss of innocent lives. Noting that terrorism presented the greatest threat to peace, stability and progress of the region and beyond, they called for an end to all forms of support, State sponsorship, safe havens and sanctuaries to terrorists against Afghanistan.

It was agreed to strengthen security cooperation between the two countries. India agreed to extend further assistance for the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) in fighting the scourge of terrorism, organized crime, trafficking of narcotics and money laundering.

The Indian side reiterated its support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process. It was agreed that concrete, meaningful and verifiable steps for immediate cessation of violence were essential for the success of regional and international efforts to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The two sides also welcomed the establishment of the Air Cargo Corridor between Kabul and Kandahar with New Delhi in June 2017. It was agreed to expand it to include other cities in Afghanistan and India as well as to increase the frequency of the cargo flights between the two countries.

It was also decided to start implementation of 500 scholarships for graduate studies in India for the next-of-kin of martyrs of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces from the Academic year 2018-19 and expand the medical assistance for Afghan National Army personnel.

The following bilateral documents were signed and exchanged:

(a) Motor Vehicles Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic; 

(b) Memorandum of Understanding between the National Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority of Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for mutual cooperation in the field of pharmaceutical products regulation;

(c) The Orbit Frequency Coordination Agreement between India and Afghanistan on South Asia Satellite (SAS);

(d) Letters establishing the New Development Partnership and launching 116 High Impact Community Development Projects.

ENDS