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Kabul: Afghanistan’s sovereign territory should not be misused to intimidate or attack any other country, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in Tashkent on Wednesday.
Addressing the defence chiefs’ meet at the 24th edition of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Uzbekistan capital, Singh further reiterated India’s support for a “peaceful, secure and stable” Afghanistan, in light of the Taliban’s takeover of the war-torn nation in August 2021.
“[Defence Minister Rajnath Singh] urged all parties to encourage Afghanistan authorities to achieve national reconciliation through dialogue & negotiation and establish a broad-based, inclusive & representative political structure in the country.
He added that Afghan territory must not be used to intimidate or attack any country by providing safe havens & training to terrorists and supporting their activities through financial assistance,” the Defence Ministry stated.
The Defence Minister said members of SCO were “common stakeholders in the region” and urged stronger ties within the organisations, with India assuming presidency next year, after Uzbekistan.
The SCO is a Eurasian organisations aiming to strengthen political, economic and security cooperation among eight member states, four observers, six dialogue partners and several guest attendees including the UN. China, India, Russia and Pakistan are among the members while Afghanistan is an observer.
