Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar on a three-day visit to India

Atmar Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister is on a three-day trip to New Delhi

Afghanistan looks up to India to play a key role in forming a regional and international agreement on a peaceful international process, although the decision to include the Taliban is entirely based on New Delhi, Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar said on Tuesday.

Atmar is on a three-day trip to New Delhi, where he is holding talks with his Indian counterpart Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on security and economic cooperation and co-operation in efforts to overcome the Covid-19 epidemic. Both sides also reviewed recent developments in the peace process between the Afghan government and the Taliban. During a media briefing, Atmar answered a question about the role played by the Afghan government for India in the peace process by saying that New Delhi has legitimate interests in regional peace and stability.

"There are outsiders who threaten not only Afghanistan but also India. Therefore, India is a legitimate partner in peacekeeping and we expect a greater role in India in this process,” he said.

Lasting peace in Afghanistan depends on national, regional, and international agreements, regardless of where the talks are held by the Afghan government and the Taliban, he said. India plays a key role in the process of "agreement-building and internationalization", Atmar said.

“We leave everything to India to make that decision. We call on India to play a key role in building regional and international co-operation and the mature policies of the Indian government will continue to emphasize any form of contact with the Taliban on the basis of peace - to be part of the legitimate Afghan government,” he said.

Both Afghanistan and India and the region are affected by terrorism and the two countries have a responsibility to work together to overcome such threats, he said. The Afghan government is in talks with the Taliban to ensure that the country does not become a safe haven for foreign terrorists heading to India or the West, he said.

"The best way to protect the world is to separate the Taliban from regional and foreign terrorists, and to make peace under the condition that Afghanistan remains a sovereign, peaceful, united, and independent state," he said.

Responding to a question about the targeting minority of Hindu and Sikh by terrorists in Afghanistan, he said: “Violence against Afghans has not saved any of our young people. It is, therefore, not a form of persecution of the minority, general violence against the whole nation, in which this part of our people has been immeasurably affected.

He added that it is the duty of the Afghan government to provide protection and security for Hindus and minority Sikhs. Atmar also said that the upcoming meeting between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Turkey on April 1 will focus on three issues - permanent and complete suspension, political stability in line with the ideology of the Afghan people, and regional and international guarantees for the settlement.