The situation on the Afghan-Tajik border remains tense and difficult, while the terrorist threat from Afghanistan is on the increase, Tajikistan Security Council’s Secretary Nasrullo Rahmatjon Mahmudzoda warned on Wednesday in his opening remarks at the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan.
He added that the Taliban movement has adjusted to the military-political and geopolitical climate worldwide after having seized power in Afghanistan and is now changing the situation in the field of international and regional security.
Mahmudzoda expressed well-founded concerns about the risk that Afghanistan can spread terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and other types of cross-border crime into the region.
He pointed at the same time that Tajikistan, as a neighbouring country at the forefront of countering the spread of the abovementioned dangers, is willing to participate in any programme that can help the Afghan people.
The multilateral meeting chaired by National Security Advisor for the Indian Prime Minister Ajit Doval gathered national security advisers and secretaries to security councils from India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Although they were invited, China and Pakistan stated that they will not be attending the conference.
The key message from the meeting stressed that the territory of Afghanistan should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist acts, while participants have also adopted the Delhi Declaration on Afghanistan.
The Declaration called for ensuring that the fundamental rights of children, women and minority communities in Afghanistan are not violated, highlighting at the same time the need of urgent humanitarian assistance to the Afghani considering the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event, which was held for a third time, is part of India’s efforts to remain pertinent in the aftermath of the developments in Afghanistan since the US withdrawal and the Taliban’s takeover. The two previous two regional meetings in this format in September 2018 and December 2019, were hosted by Iran.
While no delegation from Afghanistan was invited, Kabul considers the conference a positive step towards making aid to Afghanistan more accessible.
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