U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called on the Taliban to adhere to their commitment in a joint statement after meeting with their Indian counterparts Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
Officials of these two countries met in New Delhi Friday as part of their annual “2+2 Dialogue”.
In a joint statement published on the website of the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs after this meeting, it is stated: “The Ministers called on the Taliban to adhere to their commitment to prevent any group or individual from using the territory of Afghanistan to threaten the security of any country; and noted UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021), which demands that Afghan territory not be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists, or to plan or finance terrorist attacks.”
The foreign and defense ministers of the United States and India urged the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans, including women, children, and members of minority groups; and uphold freedom of travel.
They also emphasized unhindered access to deliver humanitarian assistance and recommitted to having consultations on Afghanistan to help facilitate an inclusive and peaceful future for all Afghans.
This is the demand of the two countries while the Taliban claim that they have been able to provide security and peace in the country since regaining control of Afghanistan, but according to the reports of international and regional organizations, terrorist groups are currently active in Afghanistan.
