Delhi Declaration On Afghanistan: 8 Nations Stress Need For 'Open & Truly Inclusive' Govt

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>New Delhi: </strong>The third Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan held in New Delhi today, concluded with a joint statement from the eight participating nations stressing &ldquo;the necessity of forming an open and truly inclusive government&rdquo; in Afghanistan.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The National Security Advisers and Secretaries of the National Security Councils of India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The representatives of the eight nations discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan and concluded with strong support for a peaceful, secure, and stable Afghanistan. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The leaders emphasised &ldquo;the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs.&rdquo;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Delhi Declaration On Afghanistan mentions a truly inclusive government should be there that "represents the will of all the people of Afghanistan and has representation from all sections of their society, including major ethno-political forces in the country."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meanwhile, in the Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan, the name Taliban nowhere finds a mention or acknowledgment of its interim government.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Delhi Declaration, Afghanistan&rsquo;s territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning, or financing any terrorist acts. They also expressed concern over the &ldquo;menace of radicalization, extremism, separatism and drug trafficking in the region.&rdquo;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The importance of ensuring that the fundamental rights of women, children, and minority communities are not violated was also discussed in the meeting.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The leaders also expressed concern over the deteriorating socio-economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and underlined the need to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.</span></p> <p>The representatives of the eight nations &ldquo;condemned in the strongest terms all terrorist activities and reaffirmed their firm commitment to combat terrorism&rdquo; to ensure that the Afghan soil would never become a safe haven for global terrorism.</p> <p>They emphasised on the &nbsp;&ldquo;inclusion of all sections of the society in the administrative and political structure is imperative for the successful national reconciliation process in the country.&rdquo;</p> <p>The leaders also reiterated their commitment to providing assistance to Afghanistan to prevent the spread of COVID-19.&nbsp;</p>