India set to reopen embassy in Afghanistan

India on Friday announced that it was reopening its embassy in Kabul, four years after it was shut following the 2021 return of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

The announcement was made by Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar during a bilateral meeting with his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi.

"I am pleased to announce today the upgrading of India's Technical Mission in Kabul to the status of Embassy of India," Jaishankar said.

United Nations-sanctioned Muttaqi arrived in India on Thursday for a landmark six-day visit after the UN Security Council approved travel ban exemptions for the Taliban minister.

Muttaqi's trip to India is the first by a senior Taliban leader since the Islamist militant group retook power in Afghanistan.

The key diplomatic moves come even as New Delhi does not recognize the Taliban government.

A year after closing its embassy in Kabul, India had opened a small mission focused on facilitating trade, medical support, and humanitarian aid.

"India is fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan," Jaishankar said

"Closer cooperation between us contributes to your national development, as well as regional stability and resilience," he said.

The shift in New Delhi’s policy on Afghanistan also comes amid the deteriorating ties between the Taliban regime and India’s arch rival Pakistan. 

India a 'close friend,' says Afghan foreign minister

Muttaqi on Friday hailed the long civilian and personal ties between people in Afghanistan and India, stressing that Kabul wants ties based on mutual respect, and political, trade and people-to-people relations.

The Afghan foreign minister said that his country looks at India as a "close friend". 

He highlighted New Delhi's role as a key provider of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

India has been the largest regional provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Kabul in the pre-Taliban years. 

Muttaqi made particular mention of India's assistance during a devastating earthquake that struck Afghanistan in August. 

"In the recent earthquake in Afghanistan, India was the first country to respond [with] humanitarian assistance," Muttaqi said. 

Afghanistan, the foreign minister said, "stands ready to create a mechanism to [increase] understanding" between New Delhi and Kabul. He added that "this consultative mechanism will work towards strengthening our relations."

Edited by Sean Sinico