Afghanistan to sign its first strategic partnership agreement with India

[Lankan Ranger]

Afghanistan to sign its first strategic partnership agreement with India


Afghanistan will sign a strategic partnership agreement with India during President Hamid Karzai’s official visit here, beginning on Tuesday, according to official sources. It will be Afghanistan’s first strategic agreement with any country.

Broadly, the agreement will have political, economic and people-to-people components, and will be piloted by a partnership council headed by the two foreign ministers. Several joint working groups will be set up in due course. Besides peace and security issues, the agreement will institutionalise regular consultations on forging common positions at the UN and other international bodies.

The agreement will build on the understanding reached between the two countries when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Kabul in May.

This is Karzai’s second visit to India this year, the last one being in February.

The agreement will include an Indian commitment to assist and train Afghan national security forces, the nature of such assistance will be determined by Kabul, Indian sources said. Execution of a host of developmental projects worth two billion dollars, being funded by India, is full swing across Afghanistan.

India is already running several training courses in India, and increasing the number of Afghan security officials in Indian academies. It may play a larger role in developing the Afghan police force.

The strategic partnership document will institutionalise regular dialogue at the level of the National Security Adviser. It will focus on cooperation in sensitive security aspects of the relationship. Like in other spheres of the partnership,India will not look to dictate the pace and scope of security cooperation. It will be up to Kabul to take the lead.

Karzai’s visit comes at a time when Afghanistan-Pakistan relations are strained. On Friday, in a statement issued in Kabul, Karzai mentioned India along with the United States and Europe as future partners with whom it might "work closely" rather than trying to negotiate with Taliban groups.

"Despite three years of talks, coming and going, good intentions and efforts made by Afghanistan for peace and the initiation of good relations with Pakistan, the Pakistani government has not taken any measures for closing down its terrorist safe havens nor prevented training and equipping of terrorists on its soil," Karzai said.

Kabul’s policy shift appears to have been provoked by the recent assassination of former president Buhranuddin Rabbani. Initial investigations have apparently shown that the assassins came from Quetta, Pakistan, where they received training. Kabul has sought Islamabad’s cooperation in the probe, and is learnt to have passed on evidence through US interlocutors.

With US and NATO troops on pullout mode, New Delhi has intensified efforts to strengthen its partnership with Afghanistan. Singh’s visit in May was meant to lay the basis of this partnership. Both sides agreed to raise the profile of their relationship and negotiate an agreement.

The Cabinet Committee on Security is expected to give its approval to the agreement ahead of Karzai’s arrival.

The Island

 

[Sher Malang]

That's a great step towards prosperity of Afghanistan, there is an urgent need for such strategic agreements of Afghanistan with Iran, Pakistan and India before going with USA/UK.

 

[53fd]

That's a great step towards prosperity of Afghanistan, there is an urgent need for such strategic agreements of Afghanistan with Iran, Pakistan and India before going with USA/UK.

Then why did you have the US/UK over in your country in the first place? Afghanistan is a landlocked country, & Pakistan & Iran have borders with Afghanistan, they (& rest of the countries bordering Afghanistan) should come first in strategic agreements, & everyone else later, for the stability of the region. If Afghanistan does not want the region to be stable, that's another issue.

 

[Kinetic]

Afghanistan will sign a strategic partnership agreement with India during President Hamid Karzai’s official visit here, beginning on Tuesday, according to official sources. It will be Afghanistan’s first strategic agreement with any country.

Excellent news. We must cooperate with Afghans in all ways to make Afghanistan a stable and prosperous country. India must engage in Afghanistan in just more than building infrastructure and training security personnel. Afghanistan must not come under taliban influence.

 

[CaptainJackSparrow]

Then why did you have the US/UK over in your country in the first place? Afghanistan is a landlocked country, & Pakistan & Iran have borders with Afghanistan, they (& rest of the countries bordering Afghanistan) should come first in strategic agreements, & everyone else later, for the stability of the region. If Afghanistan does not want the region to be stable, that's another issue.

Errr...matey!

You're forgetting that it's always been Pakistan that never wanted a stable and independent Afghanistan for sake of strategic depth...or should I say strategic death?

 

[Kinetic]

Indo-Afghan strategic pact to be inked during Karzai visit


Indo-Afghan strategic pact to be inked during Karzai visit - Indian Express




India and Afghanistan will sign a historic strategic partnership document during President Hamid Karzai’s visit to India next week. The agreement will build on the understanding reached between the two countries when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Kabul in May. It will be Afghanistan’s first strategic agreement with any country.

While the agreement will include an Indian commitment to assist and train Afghan national security forces, the nature of such assistance will be determined by Kabul, sources said.

India is already running several training courses in India, and increasing the number of Afghan security officials in Indian academies. It may play a larger role in developing the Afghan police force.

The strategic partnership document will institutionalise regular dialogue at the level of the National Security Adviser, which will focus on cooperation in sensitive security aspects of the relationship. Like in other spheres of the partnership, sources said, New Delhi will not look to dictate the pace and scope of security cooperation, and would rather want Kabul to take the lead.



Karzai’s visit comes at a time when Afghanistan-Pakistan relations are strained. On Friday, in a statement issued in Kabul, Karzai mentioned India along with the US and Europe as future partners with whom it might “work closely” rather than trying to negotiate with Taliban groups.

“Despite three years of talks, coming and going, good intentions and efforts made by Afghanistan for peace and the initiation of good relations with Pakistan, the Pakistani government has not taken any measures for closing down its terrorist safe havens nor prevented training and equipping of terrorists on its soil,” Karzai said.

Afghanistan’s policy shift has been provoked by the assassination of former president Buhranuddin Rabbani. Initial investigations have apparently shown that the assassins came from Quetta, where they received training. Kabul has sought Islamabad’s cooperation in the probe, and is learnt to have passed on evidence through US interlocutors.

With US and NATO troops on pullout mode, New Delhi has intensified efforts to strengthen its partnership with Afghanistan. Singh’s visit in May was meant to lay the basis of this partnership. Both sides agreed to raise the profile of their relationship and negotiate an agreement.

Broadly, the agreement will have political, economic and people-to-people components, and will be piloted by a partnership council headed by the two foreign ministers. Several joint working groups will be set up in due course. Besides peace and security issues, the agreement will institutionalise regular consultations on forging common positions at the UN and other international bodies.


The Cabinet Committee on Security is expected to give its approval to the agreement ahead of Karzai’s arrival.

 

[SpArK]

Friend in need is a friend indeed.

 

[Sher Malang]

Then why did you have the US/UK over in your country in the first place? Afghanistan is a landlocked country, & Pakistan & Iran have borders with Afghanistan, they (& rest of the countries bordering Afghanistan) should come first in strategic agreements, & everyone else later, for the stability of the region. If Afghanistan does not want the region to be stable, that's another issue.

There is a famous saying in Urdu 'ek haath se taali nahi bhajti'. You might have knowledge of APTA (Afghan-Pakistan Trade Agreement) which was signed a year ago but still not operational that's because some sects inside Pakistan doesn't want any good relation with Afghanistan and so as on our side who have the same opinions but in general both governments should focus on long-term engagements not on weekly politics.

You guys better know none of Afghans called US/UK and their alliance to come to Afghanistan but the situation was made by it's neighbors which US got the chance to enter Afghanistan. Now when they are here, they have done alot than our neighbors and that's what we Afghans will never forget but it's our fault that we are corrupt and we have looted those aids and didn't let the poor people get benefit from it.

PS: USA was once the closest ally of Pakistan.

 

[53fd]

You guys better know none of Afghans called US/UK and their alliance to come to Afghanistan but the situation was made by it's neighbors which US got the chance to enter Afghanistan.

The situation was only made by the Afghans, don't blame others for your failures. How did Pakistan or anyone else make the US attack Afghanistan on 9/11?

Now when they are here, they have done alot than our neighbors and that's what we Afghans will never forget but it's our fault that we are corrupt and we have looted those aids and didn't let the poor people get benefit from it.

You may think they've done a lot, but to most Afghans, they've done a lot of other stuff:

http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-...ans-also-protesting-american-air-strikes.html

Things in Afghanistan are headed to be worse than what they were in the 90s, the Karzai government has little legitimacy in the eyes of the Afghan people, & is seen as a puppet regime propped up by the US, seen by the Afghan people as invaders & intruders. More than 75% of Afghanistan is controlled by the Taliban. Go to the above link, & see what the Afghan people think of the US in their country.

 

[Sher Malang]

^I don't want to start discussion on the issues we have talked 100 times in other threads, if you wish so, search them and start reading them again and if you have something on Afghan-India strategic partnership kindly lets discuss.

Thanks.

 

[53fd]

^I don't want to start discussion on the issues we have talked 100 times in other threads, if you wish so, search them and start reading them again and if you have something on Afghan-India strategic partnership kindly lets discuss.

Thanks.

All I'm saying is, all the omens are there that the times to come in Afghanistan will be worse than the 90s. And you yourself will be responsible for your own fate, no one else. Don't go about blaming Pakistan or anyone else when things get bad in Afghanistan in the future.

 

[RoYaL~GuJJaR]

Awesome News!!

We should engage with Afghanistan on every front, Infrastructure,trade,defence.......

 

[Alchemy]

India is the only country that is trying to help Afghanistan economically through building bridges, roads , dams and other basic needs and not interfering militarily in Afghan, all other countries either have military presence in Aghan or trying to use Aghan as strategic depth like in case of Pakistan is trying to do!

 

[Ahmad]

Then why did you have the US/UK over in your country in the first place? Afghanistan is a landlocked country, & Pakistan & Iran have borders with Afghanistan, they (& rest of the countries bordering Afghanistan) should come first in strategic agreements, & everyone else later, for the stability of the region. If Afghanistan does not want the region to be stable, that's another issue.

we have them because of the taliban and we have them because of YOU.

 

[anonymus]

Then why did you have the US/UK over in your country in the first place? Afghanistan is a landlocked country, & Pakistan & Iran have borders with Afghanistan, they (& rest of the countries bordering Afghanistan) should come first in strategic agreements, & everyone else later, for the stability of the region. If Afghanistan does not want the region to be stable, that's another issue.

You mean that Afghanistan is Pakistan's colony and not a sovereign state and hence can't choose whom they sign strategic agreement with.