India backs Afghanistan’s sovereignty as Taliban, Pakistan clash at Moscow talks

New Delhi: India has backed Afghanistan's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity at the eighth Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan in Moscow, as Pakistan carried out cross-border military strikes into Afghanistan. New Delhi also reiterated its commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people.

An Indian delegation led by Indian ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar and joint secretary (PAI) in MEA M Suresh Kumar conveyed New Delhi's position at the meeting hosted by Russia in Moscow on Monday. New Delhi has been steadfast in backing Afghan sovereignty in the face of Pakistan's cross-border actions, experts on Afghan affairs said.

The forum was attended by officials from Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, while Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi led his country's delegation. Belarus and Egypt attended as guests. The Taliban and Pakistan, however, sparred at the meeting, preventing the adoption of a joint statement. Speaking at a news conference following the meeting, Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said, "When drafting the final joint statement, we encountered one problem - that problem was that our Afghan and Pakistani colleagues didn't see eye to eye. We regret this," Kabulov said, according to Russia's TASS news agency.


Kabulov said the Taliban delegation objected to wording that mentioned Afghanistan too often in a terrorist context. In his speech at the meeting, Muttaqi accused the Pakistani military of launching a new project aimed at challenging stability in Afghanistan and the wider region.