Afghan soil must not be used for sheltering, planning or financing terror acts: Delhi Declaration

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 10

The Delhi Declaration of Regional National Security Advisers (NSAs) on Wednesday called for a collective cooperation against the menace of radicalisation, extremism, separatism and drug trafficking in the region.

Meeting for the first time in Delhi, NSAs of eight countries issued a joint declaration that also emphasised that Afghanistan’s territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist acts.

Hosted by NSA Ajit Doval, the meeting was taking place a day ahead of the ‘Extended Troika’ in Islamabad that will also be attended by the Taliban Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and the new US envoy for Afghanistan Tom West.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval has called upon all regional countries to step up consultations and coordination on Afghanistan in order to enhance their collective security.

Opening the ‘Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan’, Doval had called for closer consultations and coordination among the regional countries since the events in Afghanistan have important implications for its neighbours and the region.

Doval will be briefed about the deliberations at the ‘Troika Plus’ of the US, China, Pakistan and Russia in Islamabad along with Muttaqi when the US Afghan Envoy flies over to India later this week.

West is proceeding from Brussels to Pakistan for a meeting of the “Troika Plus” in Islamabad on Thursday. From there, he’ll travel to Delhi to brief the US’ Quad ally on the new thinking in Washington regarding the Taliban Government and the developments thereof.

Meanwhile, the Delhi dialogue especially discussed the security situation in Afghanistan and its regional and global ramifications. The NSAs 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, stated a MEA release.

The Delhi Declaration reaffirmed the firm commitment of all eight participants to combat terrorism and ensure that Afghanistan would never become a safe haven for global terrorism.

It also stressed the necessity of an open and truly inclusive government that has representation from all sections of their society, including major ethno-political forces in the country.

It also noted that the UN has a central role to play in Afghanistan and reiterated that humanitarian assistance should be provided in an unimpeded, direct and assured manner. The assistance should be distributed in a non-discriminatory manner, it added.