Afghanistan leader Mohammed Haneef Atmar thanks India for its commitment to Afghan peace

Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar expressed the war-torn nation's gratefulness to India for its commitment and solidarity on Sunday, September 13. Taking to Twitter, Atmar thanked MEA S Jaishankar and the Ministry of External Affairs for reaffirming India’s support for peace and prosperity in Afghanistan.

Read: US Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo To Attend Intra-Afghan Peace Talks In Qatar

Afghanistan grateful for India's role in peace process

Mohammed Haneef Atmar's statement comes amid the ongoing intra-Afghan peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban in Qatar's capital Doha. The talks began on September 12 in Qatar after the prisoner exchanges between the two sides were finally completed

The intra-Afghanistan Peace talks are being considered a diplomatic breakthrough that could potentially stabilise the war-torn country after nearly four decades of conflict. US Security of State Mike Pompeo, in a statement, said the peace talks were a historic opportunity to end the conflict in the country as the people of Afghanistan have ‘carried the burden of war for too long’.

Read: International Support For Afghanistan Peace Talks

The start of Afghan peace talks was attended by Jaishankar through video conference and during his, address the External Affairs Minister stated that the peace process should focus on the rights of minorities and women and should also be Afghan-led. He also added that Afghanistan’s territorial integrity should be maintained at all costs and that Afghan soil should not be used for anti-India activities.

The Intra-Afghan peace talks were also attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who flew out to Qatar for the talks. Back in February the US and the Taliban had come to an agreement wherein the US committed to reducing its troop count in Afghanistan while the government and Taliban agreed tp exchange a pre-determined number of prisoners, after which peace talks between the parties began.

Read: Kabul Residents React To Afghanistan Peace Talks

Read: US Will Reduce Its Troop Strength In Afghanistan To 4,000 In A Very Short Period Of Time: Trump