RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan
October 24, 2017
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has met with Indian leaders in New Delhi to review bilateral relations between the two countries as well as regional security and the fight against terrorism.
Ghani’s office said that his talks on October 24 with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj touched upon cooperation in the field of trade, transit, and investment, among other things.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said on Twitter that Modi and Ghani expressed “firm resolve to end [the] menace of terrorism.”
Kumar said the two also discussed ways to further a “shared objective or [promote] security and stability in Afghanistan,” where the Western-backed government is struggling to beat back insurgents in the wake of the exit of most NATO forces in 2014.
Ahead of Ghani’s one-day working visit to the Indian capital, India’s Foreign Ministry said both sides will review “the entire gamut of multifaceted bilateral strategic partnership.”
Ghani’s visit comes a day after he met in Afghanistan with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for talks that focused on a regional approach to combating terrorism in South Asia.
Tilerson was set to arrive in New Delhi late on October 24 after a stop in Islamabad, where he was expected to urge Pakistani officials to do more to deny safe havens to terrorists.
Kabul and New Delhi have long accused Pakistan of backing and sheltering militants who carry out attacks on their soil.
Islamabad denies the allegations.
With reporting by dpa
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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