MONITORING (SW) – The top U.S. peace envoy for Afghanistan has spoken over phone with the Indian foreign minister about the Afghan peace process and domestic politics.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, said in a series of tweets that he reached out to Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar to discuss the latest on the Afghan peace process. He said the two leaders talked about the urgency of resolving the internal political crisis and the importance of Afghan leaders forming an inclusive government.
“We also discussed the need for both the Afghan government and the Taliban to accelerate prisoner releases, support a prompt reduction in violence, and start intra-Afghan negotiations. We also spent some time covering the immediate and longer-term impact of the Coronavirus”, he tweeted.
The U.S. envoy said he told the Indian minister that the U.S. welcomes Indian engagement in regional and international efforts for a lasting peace in Afghanistan. “We are committed to a sustained engagement with #India on this objective”.
The Indian foreign minister has said he shared the Indian perspective on these matters. “Our historical friendship with this close neighbor (Afghanistan) will always guide our Afghan policy”, he tweeted.
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