India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, said that in a meeting with Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban commerce minister, on Thursday in New Delhi, they discussed ways “to strengthen trade, connectivity and people-to-people ties”.
Jaishankar reiterated India’s support for the development and welfare of the people of Afghanistan.”
The meeting comes as Azizi leads a five-day delegation visit to India, where he is attending the Imam Abu Hanifa International Trade and Investment Expo, a business forum that has drawn commercial representatives from across the region.
Though India does not formally recognize the Taliban government, it has maintained a calibrated level of engagement with them, emphasizing humanitarian assistance, regional connectivity, and continued investment in the Afghan people.
This is the second trip of a Taliban minister to India after last month’s visit of Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban foreign minister to India.
India reopened a technical mission at its embassy in Kabul in mid-2022, and has since sent multiple aid consignments, including wheat and medical supplies.
During Muttaqi’s visit, India announced it will reopen its embassy in Kabul. But sources have told Amu that Indian officials are concerned about the security of their mission in Afghanistan.
India, a longtime partner of the former Afghan republic, invested over $3 billion in development projects across Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Since then, it has walked a careful line between engagement and recognition, urging the Taliban to form an inclusive government and respect the rights of women and minorities.
