Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether India is contemplating to increase the number of Afghan security personnel for training or to undertake an increased security role in Afghanistan;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the Indian diplomatic response to an ostensible refusal by Turkey to invite India to a Conference on Afghanistan held in Istanbul a few days before the London Conference in the last week of January 2010;
(d) whether the Government of India envisages a role for other Asian powers like Russia, Iran and the Central Asian States for Afghanistan’s stability in future; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?

ANSWER THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI S.M. KRISHNA)

(a) to (b) Indian assistance for Afghanistan is for the promotion of peace and development in Afghanistan. All Indian assistance is initiated at the request of the Government of Afghanistan.

(c) Government took up the issue of exclusion of India from the Istanbul Conference on Afghanistan with the Turkish Government. The Turkish Government has told us that they would have liked India to participate in the Conference. However, the Conference had evolved from a trilateral meeting involving Afghanistan, Turkey and Pakistan, and it was not possible to evolve a consensus on India’s participation. The Turkish side further acknowledged India’s positive role in Afghanistan’s economic development.

(d) to (e) India believes that international cooperation, particularly with the neighbouring and regional countries, is essential for peace, stability and development in Afghanistan.

http://www.mea.gov.in/mystart.php?id=220215924

Afghanistan

South Asia