New Delhi: The US Special Representative on Afghanistan Reconciliation, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad was on a brief visit to Delhi on Tuesday.
During his visit which lasted a few hours only Khalilzad called on External Affairs Minister S Jaishakar in the presence of National security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. During the meeting, Khalilzad briefed the Indian side about the US assessment of the ongoing Intra Afghan Negotiation and shared the US perspective on the Afghan peace. The two sides discussed future steps and possible cooperation between India and the US in furthering the Afghan peace process.
Jaishankar had participated in the inaugural session of the intra-Afghan negotiations held in Doha on 12 September via video conferencing. During his address, EAM had conveyed that India’s policy on Afghanistan had been consistent. India believes any peace process must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled, has to respect the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and preserve the progress made in the establishment of a democratic Islamic Republic in Afghanistan. He also underlined that the interests of minorities, women, and vulnerable sections of society must be preserved and the issue of violence across the country and its neighbourhood has to be effectively addressed.
The US interlocutor’s Delhi visit precedes his meeting with senior leaders and officials of the Pakistan government in Islamabad on Monday.
