Emphasising that Afghanistan's territory should not be used for sheltering or financing any terrorist acts, the NSA-level meeting of eight countries hosted by India on Wednesday stressed the need for an open and truly inclusive government that represents all sections of their society, including major ethnopolitical forces.
The Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan, released after meeting of National Security Advisers or Secretaries of the National Security Councils of India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russian, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, called for collective cooperation against the menace of radicalization, extremism, separatism and drug trafficking in the region. The participants condemned in the strongest terms all terrorist activities and reaffirmed their "firm commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including its financing, the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and countering radicalization, to ensure that Afghanistan would never become a safe haven for global terrorism". The Delhi Declaration reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasizing the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs.
During the meeting, the participants discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan, especially the security situation and its regional and global ramifications.
"The sides paid special attention to the current political situation in Afghanistan and threats arising from terrorism, radicalisation and drug trafficking as well as the need for humanitarian assistance," the declaration said.
The meeting was the third Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan and was held in an expanded format.
The participants expressed deep concern over the suffering of the people of Afghanistan arising from the security situation in Afghanistan and condemned the terrorist attacks in Kunduz, Kandahar and Kabul.
The declaration said the NSAs and Secretaries of the National Security Councils emphasised that Afghanistan's territory "should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist acts".
They stressed the necessity of forming "an open and truly inclusive government that represents the will of all the people of Afghanistan and has representation from all sections of their society, including major ethnopolitical forces in the country".
"Inclusion of all sections of the society in the administrative and political structure is imperative for the successful national reconciliation process in the country," the declaration said.
Recalling the relevant UN Resolutions on Afghanistan, the participants noted that the United Nations has a central role to play in the country and that its continued presence there must be preserved.
The 12-point declaration emphasized the importance of ensuring that the fundamental rights of women, children and minority communities are not violated.
The participants 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 the country.
They reiterated that humanitarian assistance should be provided in an unimpeded, direct and assured manner to Afghanistan and that the assistance is distributed within the country in a non-discriminatory manner across all sections of the Afghan society.
The participants reiterated their commitment to providing assistance to Afghanistan to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
They also reiterated the importance of their dialogue and agreed to remain engaged with each other in the future. The next round of the dialogue will be held in 2022.
( With inputs from ANI )
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