India is considering reopening the mission in Afghanistan

Several countries have started discussing the possibility of redeploying embassies in Kabuli

As many countries including the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Japan and the European Union begin to discuss Possibility of redeployment of embassies in KabuliNew Delhi is considering options for its presence in Afghanistan.

In November, the UAE resumed operations in Kabul that would add to the list of open embassies including Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Last month, Washington and Doha signed a deal for the Qatari embassy in Kabul to represent America’s “diplomatic interests”.

presence on the ground

whereas Taliban recognition Officials said that is still “distant” and not even “remotely” being considered, with each country still linked to Afghanistan, making decisions on the basis that with the Afghan population How to meet your relationship needs. In particular, India has had trouble with transit aid through Pakistan, which included the Imran Khan government’s “conditions” that only Pakistani trucks would carry Indian aid, and demanded that India pay for the cartage. Will, having re-opened the conversation about having a presence on the ground.

“Establishing a presence in Afghanistan has nothing to do with recognition. It simply means you want people to deal with the new regime on the ground, continue to engage with the people,” said a senior official, who said the Modi government was not convinced about the need to reopen its mission. Is. But the discussion on what should be India’s strategy is going on.

in present Indian Embassy in Kabul, which was evacuated by Taliban within two days According to officials, control of the city has been stopped since August 15 and has not been ransacked or damaged, and the “Green Zone”, where the embassy is located, is being guarded by the Taliban. India’s consulates in Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad and Kandahar were completely cordoned off and evacuated before the final evacuation.

According to officials, there are several options for reappointment to the Indian post, including deploying a team to a well-secured UN compound, keeping local Afghan staff, or a small group of diplomats and security personnel in the embassy itself. Including maintaining the group.

Former Ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha advised some caution in redeploying the embassy in view of the past attacks on the embassy. He said India has always maintained that it has no exit policy from Afghanistan.

“We have to treat the world the way we want to, not the way we want it to be. Any presence on the ground has to think about what we want to achieve and how personnel will be protected. Hindu,

Former Vice President Hamid Ansari, who was ambassador to Afghanistan decades ago, called on India to reopen its diplomatic presence. “Of course, yes, we should reopen our embassy as soon as possible. We are already in touch with the Taliban in Doha and Moscow, and so it is a formality,” he said in an interview with The Wire on Tuesday.

Officials say a lot will depend on what India’s other partners and allies choose to do. Over the weekend, European Union (EU) officials led by Special Envoy for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson held talks with the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Motaki in Doha, where the two sides discussed how to provide food, medical and monetary aid to Afghans. How to provide assistance It is facing severe cold and severe malnutrition.

a minimum attendance

“The EU delegation underlined that the possibility of establishing a minimum presence on the ground in Kabul, which would not require recognition, would depend directly on the security situation and on effective decisions by the de facto authorities to allow it to ensure its adequate security.” staff and premises,” the EU said, adding that the Taliban delegation had promised them all rights and privileges under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The EU already has humanitarian staff in Kabul and has increased its aid to €300 million “to help mitigate the worsening humanitarian crisis”, Mr Nicholson reported. Hindu,

During a four-day high-level engagement by the Japanese ambassador to Afghanistan Takashi Okada last week, the Taliban’s acting deputy prime minister Abdul Ghani Baradar said he had asked Tokyo to reopen its embassy and promised all necessary facilities. The Japanese foreign ministry said the government was considering the option of resuming embassy operations with only local staff, but had not yet set a date. Japan Times,

Others may follow suit by either maintaining a skeleton local staff at their mission premises or appointing a liaison to continue essential diplomatic services, which will be followed closely in New Delhi.

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