India has long-standing ties with Afghanistan: MEA

The remarks were made as the Taliban administration in Kabul completes five years in power, having resumed control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, following the withdrawal of US forces and the collapse of the previous government.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that a series of high-level diplomatic and functional exchanges between New Delhi and Kabul over the past year have provided substantial momentum to bilateral engagement.

The Afghan embassy in New Delhi is preparing to organise an event next week to mark the fifth anniversary of the transition in Kabul.

"We had several visits from Afghanistan to India, and these have led to the strengthening of partnership in several areas, including development, cooperation, trade, and connectivity," Jaiswal stated during his bi-weekly media briefing.

Reaffirming New Delhi's commitment to sustained engagement, the spokesperson added, "We have long-standing ties with Afghanistan, and we look forward to further strengthening these ties that we have with them."

In October last year, India announced the elevation of its technical mission in Kabul to full embassy status as part of its expanding bilateral framework with Afghanistan. India had initially recalled its diplomatic staff following the developments of August 2021 before re-establishing an official diplomatic footprint in June 2022 by deploying a "technical team" to the Afghan capital.

Responding to a separate query on bilateral ties with Kathmandu, Jaiswal highlighted the depth of India's historical engagement with Nepal.

"We have a relationship that is very strong, very warm, and historical in nature. We've had people-to-people ties, which are unique. At the same time, when we have such a relationship or such a multifaceted partnership, there will be issues that people will have, which we need to sit down and discuss," he said. (ANI)