The 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was held in New Delhi on Sunday

India and Central Asian countries held their third Dialogue in New Delhi on Sunday under the chairmanship of the External Affairs Minister of India, S Jaishankar wherein Foreign Ministers noted that there is a broad ‘regional consensus’ on issues related to Afghanistan.

Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan took part in the meeting under India’s chairship and discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region, said a Joint Statement of the 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue.

The Ministers reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasizing the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs, it stated.

They also discussed the current humanitarian situation and decided to continue to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, it informed.

According to the statement, the Ministers reaffirmed the importance of UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021) which unequivocally demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts and called for concerted action against all terrorist groups.

The Ministers also agreed to continue close consultations on the situation in Afghanistan, it noted.

While taking note of the outcome document of the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue of 10 November 2021, Ministers noted that there is a broad ‘regional consensus’ on the issues related to Afghanistan, the statement said.

The broad consensus includes formation of a truly representative and inclusive government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, central role of the UN, providing immediate humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people and preserving the rights of women, children and other national ethnic groups, it explained.

The Ministers condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology and abuse of cyber space to spread disinformation and incite violence, goes against the basic principles of humanity and international relations, the statement said.

They stressed that perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of terrorist acts must be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with principle of "extradite or prosecute”, it added.

In this context, they called for early adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, the statement mentioned.

They called on the international community to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation and fully implement the relevant UNSC resolutions, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and FATF standards, it further added.