Dushanbe:
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Tajikistan’s capital on Monday to attend a crucial conference on Afghanistan, exactly where representatives from about 50 nations and international organisations would talk about creating regional consensus about the peace procedure in the war-torn nation.
“Touchdown in Dushanbe. Look forward to my bilateral visit and attending the Heart of Asia Conference tomorrow,” Mr Jaishankar tweeted.
Touchdown in Dushanbe.
Look forward to my bilateral go to and attending the Heart of Asia Conference tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/MWSqDl9FTJ— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 29, 2021
The 9th Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) ministerial conference is element of the Istanbul Process – a regional initiative on safety and cooperation for a steady and peaceful Afghanistan – that was launched on November 2, 2011 in Turkey.
“Visited the Dushanbe-Chortut Highway Project site. Good work being done by @BROindia under our grant assistance. The 8-lane highway will decongest Dushanbe,” the minister tweeted.
Last week, Mr Jaishankar mentioned that India would like to clearly see a sovereign democratic and inclusive Afghanistan that requires into account the interests of its minorities.
“There is something called the peace and reconciliation process and everybody else is saying that the Taliban is reaching out and changing etc. Let us wait and watch,” he had mentioned.
During his go to, Mr Jaishanakar is also anticipated to meet leaders of other participating nations on the sidelines of the conference.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is also attending the conference and the participation of each the ministers at the conference has sparked speculation of a achievable meeting amongst the two leaders amidst current peace overtures from Pakistan.
Mr Qureshi, having said that, mentioned no meeting has been “finalised or requested” so far with his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the conference.
Mr Jaishankar final week also did not give a certain reply to concerns on irrespective of whether he will meet Mr Qureshi on the sidelines of the conference.
“My scheduling is in progress. So far I do not think any such meeting (is scheduled),” he mentioned at the India Economic Conclave in New Delhi on March 26.
The final meeting amongst Mr Qureshi and an Indian external affairs minister took location in May 2019 in Bishkek on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting. Late Sushma Swaraj was then holding the portfolio of the external affairs minister.
India and Pakistan are without having higher commissioners in every other’s capital — New Delhi and Islamabad, respectively — considering the fact that the relations amongst the two nations nosedived just after India withdrew specific status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two union territories in August 2019.
The militaries of India and Pakistan announced on February 25 that they have agreed to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and other sectors.
Weeks later, each Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa produced peace overtures towards New Delhi saying it was time for the two neighbours to “bury the past and move forward”.
India has mentioned it desires standard neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an atmosphere absolutely free of terror, hostility and violence and that the onus is on Islamabad to build an atmosphere absolutely free of terror and hostility.