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| Mentor 4 CA |
India offers additional developmental assistance of one
billion dollars to Afghanistan
India has pledged additional one billion dollars development assistance
to Afghanistan for capacity building, strengthening democratic institutions,
education, health, agriculture and energy.
The announcement was made after
delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan
President Ashraf Ghani in New Delhi.
During the talks, both countries
called for eliminating all forms of terrorism in the region. In a joint
statement after the talks, both countries agreed that terrorism is the single
biggest threat to peace, stability and progress in the region and beyond.
Giving a stern message to
Pakistan, they called upon the concerned to put an end to all support, safe
havens and sanctuaries to terrorists.
Giving the highlights of the
joint statement, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said, both leaders reaffirmed
their resolve to counter terrorism and strengthen security and defence
cooperation.
Mr Jaishankar also said,
enhancing connectivity and liberalising visa regime were also discussed during
the meeting.
India and Afghanistan also signed
agreements on Extradition Treaty, Outer Space and Judicial Matters after the talks.
Later, the Afghan President spoke
at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis. He said, the conflict in
north-western parts of Pakistan and Balochistan is equivalent to a war. A huge
number of Pakistani forces moved to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and this
violence needs to be covered by media.
Mr Ghani said, South Asia is
reeling under two wars - one in Afghanistan which he said is not a civil war
and the other in Pakistan.
Delivering a keynote address at a
business meeting, Mr Ghani suggested setting up a Task Force by the Governments
and Chambers of Commerce of India and Afghanistan to take the countries' strategic
relationship forward.
He said, the allocation of 1
billion dollars by Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards rebuilding and future
of Afghanistan is a statement of belief in the strategic partnership.
He underlined the need for
business chambers of the two countries to contribute towards Afghanistan's
efforts by setting up a target of 10 billion dollars in trade and investment in
the next five years.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister
of State for External Affairs General VK Singh said, the strategic partnership
between India and Afghanistan has been growing steadily. He said, it is time to
boost the relationship further by taking trade and investment to the next
level.
The Minister said, the private
sector needs to explore new avenues for partnership and must engage in creating
capabilities and capacities, allowing Afghanistan to rebuild its economy and
providing employment opportunities to its citizens.
