May 06 (The Killid Group) — Following his trip in the Qatari capital Doha, the U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met senior Indian officials to discuss peace efforts in Afghanistan.
Khalilzad’s visit to India follows his one-day trip to Doha where he met the Taliban officials to discuss a full implementation of the February’s agreement reached between the United States and the group.
Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the office of the insurgents movement in Qatar confirmed in a recent tweet that the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad, has met with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the political deputy of the group in Qatari capital Doha.
In the meeting, a special representative of Qatar’s foreign ministry, Dr. Mutlaq Al-Qahtani, was also present. The relevant sides discussed speeding up the prisoner release, the start of intra-Afghan talks, and a full implementation of the agreement signed between U.S. and the Taliban, Suhail Shaheen took to Twitter.
Following his stop to Qatar, Amb. Khalilzad, along with the U.S. national security director, Lisa Curtis, and the U.S. ambassador to India, Mr. Ken Juster met with the India’s foreign secretary and its national security adviser, according to a statement released by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
The statement read that Amb. Khalilzad briefed the Indian officials on peace efforts in Afghanistan: “The US side recognized India’s constructive contribution in economic development, reconstruction and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan,” said the statement adding that the U.S. envoy reiterated the important and continuous role of India in a “sustainable peace, security and stability in Afghanistan.”
Similarly, Indian foreign secretary, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and the country’s national security adviser highlighted India’s support for peace and an “immediate ceasefire” in Afghanistan as well as its supports for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
“India is deeply concerned at the upsurge in violence and supports call for immediate ceasefire and need to assist the people of Afghanistan in dealing with coronavirus pandemic. India remains engaged in extending humanitarian food and medical supplies to Afghanistan to deal with the situation created by coronavirus,” the statement added.
Earlier a press release by the U.S. State Department said that Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad departed on May 05 for travel to Doha, and will leave there for New Delhi, and Islamabad,, adding that in Doha he will meet with the leaders of the Taliban movement to discuss a full implementation of the U.S.-Taliban struck on February 29.
The State Department’s press release read that in New Delhi, the ambassador will meet the Indian officials to discuss the country’s role in a “sustainable peace in Afghanistan and the region, adding that he will also discuss the Afghan peace process in Islamabad.
In each stop, he would discuss the necessity of reduction in violence, moving the intra-Afghan talks forward and the cooperation of all sides in addressing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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