H.E. Mr. Shaida Mohammad Abdali, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in India

Established and historical ties between Afghanistan and India have been further boosted after the meeting of H.E. Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan with Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi in January-February 2016. What have been the significant developments since?

Relations between India and Afghanistan are exceptional and unique as it is based on people to people relations derived from our shared history of culture. These relations were further strengthened after signing the Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two nations. The Afghan Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah’s visit to India in February 2016 resulted in building multifaceted bilateral cooperation between India and Afghanistan. In this context, the Indian government approved the 3rd phase of Small Development Projects comprising of 92 projects in Afghanistan which were conveyed. Also, both nations agreed to develop the connectivity through Chabahar Port in Iran. Since then the work has been ongoing on these projects and in fact we recently were able to flag off the first Indian shipment of wheat to Afghanistan through Chabahar port in Iran. Also, establishment of Indo-Afghanistan Air Corridor was another achievement which further enhanced the trade ties between the two nations.

India’s assistance programmes are based on its abiding commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. What are the main commitments made by India in recent times towards Afghanistan’s ongoing political, security and economic transition?

India has been one of the leading donor nations to Afghanistan post 2001 and has played a major role in Afghanistan’s security and economic transition. India’s extensive developmental assistance program which now stands at around US 3 billion is a strong signal of its commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan. Also, the new US strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia makes India one of the major stakeholders of Afghanistan to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan and the region.