Joint Press Interaction by External Affairs Minister

 Shri Pranab Mukherjee and Afghan Foreign Minister

Mr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta

(New Delhi; November 19, 2006)

OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON (SHRI NAVTEJ SARNA): Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I welcome you to this press conference to be jointly addressed by the External Affairs Minister of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee, and the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Mr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta. After the opening statements by the two Foreign Ministers, we will take a few questions. I first request the External Affairs Minister to address the conference.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER (SHRI PRANAB MUKHERJEE): Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen:
We have just concluded the proceedings of the Second Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan co-hosted by Afghanistan and India. This conference was a follow-up to the First Conference on Regional Economic Cooperation held in Kabul last December.

At the Kabul conference the regional countries had come together to adopt the Kabul Declaration which called for a strategy for the development of Afghanistan based on cooperation with regional countries. It was intended to create significant possibilities for reducing poverty and for achieving the London Compact benchmarks and the Millennium Development Goals. The present conference was intended to make the countries in the neighbourhood of Afghanistan, along with G8 countries and international organizations, aware of the stake they have in its prosperity and to provide them the opportunity to become stakeholders in this process.

At this conference, the countries of this region, the G8 countries, and various international organizations participated at a very senior level. His Excellency President Hamid Karzai and the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh jointly inaugurated the Conference. There was very active and constructive participation from all of the participants during this conference. I am pleased to inform you that the Conference adopted the decisions and recommendations of the ministerial meeting for Technical Working Group and the Regional Business Conference.

The theme of the Technical Working Groups included electricity trade and energy development, trade, transit and transport facilitation, agriculture and agro-processing as well as investment and business potential. All the Technical Working Groups evoked active interaction and concrete decisions were taken. This will benefit not only Afghanistan but also provide greater opportunity for interactive regional economic growth and development.

The ministerial discussions made recommendations for:

(1) A study on the setting up of a centre for regional economic cooperation in Kabul for in-depth and rigorous pursuit of constructive, practical and specific initiatives for regional development.
(2) Greater need for public private partnership for regional development, specially agriculture and investment fund.
(3) Effective coordination of regional initiatives and projects which are being implemented by existing facilities of regional organizations like Economic Cooperation Organisation and SAARC.
(4) Strengthening of Afghanistan’s capacity development.
(5) Enhancing connectivity through aviation links, trade and transit, energy and gas linkages, and financial services.

Ladies and Gentlemen, India remains fully committed to working with the people and the Government of Afghanistan towards its reconstruction and development. Our partnership today embraces a multidimensional cooperation programme in keeping with the priority of the Afghan Government covering education, health, telecommunications, transport, civil aviation, agriculture and irrigation, industry, power generation and transmission, human resource development, and many other areas.

We are committed to pursuing these programmes on a quick delivery, cost-effective basis with focus on training, maintenance and local ownership in conformity with the Afghan Government’s Aid Effectiveness principles. In doing all these, we have a mission of bringing freedom, dignity and prosperity to the people of Afghanistan through cooperative ventures which unites all countries in the region in a collaborative effort.

At the end, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to emphasise that while the focus of this conference is Afghanistan, the outcome of this conference is expected to have an enhanced developmental impact throughout the region. India is a close and friendly neighbour of Afghanistan and has a particular interest in the success of this conference. I am hopeful that the decisions of this conference will be directed at concrete issues that will provide templates for regional cooperation and would identify opportunities for the mutual benefit of all the countries of the region.

Thank you.

Now, may I request my colleague Dr. Spanta.

AFGHAN FOREIGN MINISTER (MR. RANGIN DADFAR SPANTA): Thank you very much Mr. Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The main content of the Declaration of Delhi was explained by my colleague and friend, Minister of Foreign Affairs of India. But I would like to underline, and that is from our point of view very important, that relevance of Afghanistan as land bridge between Central Asia and South-East Asia and also Middle-East, was also a point in this conference.

The participants underlined that without Afghanistan and the centrality of Afghanistan as focal point between different regions of Asia, it is not easy to the world to be one continent in cooperation and peace and also harmony.

From other sides, the development and cooperation in this part of our world is not an isolated issue but it is an issue of stability, peace and also security. To work together to make our region secure, we are fighting also the threats which are coming from the terrorist activities through the different parts of our continent.

Regarding debt issues, it is very important that the world has an inter-dependent economy. Interdependence between the countries of our region to have (will have) a common benefit of development because we know the experience in Europe and other parts of the world. It is very successful in reducing the tensions between different countries to find some solutions for regional conflicts, ethnic conflicts and also ideological interference and instrumentalisation of terrorism as an instrument of policy. To reduce all of this danger, it is eminently necessary to work together for prosperity and democracy and stability in our region.

Thank you.

QUESTION (PTI): I want to know if terrorism is posing a major hindrance to economic reconstruction of Afghanistan. Is there any commitment from Pakistan to curb these activities coming from across the border?

AFGHAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Pakistan is one of the active participants in reconstruction of Afghanistan. Pakistan supported reconstruction in my country with more than 260 million dollars and we are very grateful for Pakistan’s cooperation in different fields, including development. It is not possible to have stability in this region. We hope that as soon as possible, Pakistan (would) open the road from India to Afghanistan for strengthened common cooperation and for the realization of the recommendation of the Delhi conference.

AFGHAN FINANCE MINISTER: I just want to make a point on that. The resurgence of violence in Afghanistan has certainly a negative impact on the development of Afghanistan. Of course, it is not our choice. We would rather have development in an environment free of violence and that will make development less costly for us and much faster. But that is the environment in which we live. We call upon all the states in this region that terrorism and violence hurts the entire region and that we will like all countries to cooperate with us to face this menace jointly. I am confident that we will eventually overcome this problem. But if we get international support in this regard, hopefully we would be able to deal with this problem much faster and much more effectively. But, with regard to the final outcome, I have no doubt that eventually the Government of Afghanistan, with the help of the international community, will overcome this problem and we will proceed with our development in Afghanistan as we have planned it. Thank you.

QUESTION (THE HINDU): I have two questions - one to Mr. Mukherjee and one to Dr. Spanta.

Mr. Mukherjee, there is a reference to the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline in the Declaration that has been issued. It talks about a commercially viable project. Can you give us some idea of what kind of timeframe and are there going to be some feasibility studies conducted? What is the status of that project?

To Dr. Spanta, yesterday in his speech Mr. Hamid Karzai referred to the fact that international forces are still needed in Afghanistan and the job is not yet over. Is there an impression that some sections of the international community want to cut and run from Afghanistan?
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER: I am first responding to the question in respect of TAPI. After the finalization of the detailed project reports, it would be possible to indicate the timeframe. (Presently) It is just not possible to indicate the timeframe by which the project will be completed. So far as economic viability is concerned, of course, the project has economic viability. That is why we are interested in it.

AFGHAN FINANCE MINISTER: The commitment of international community in Afghanistan is a long-term commitment. The job is not done. If the reason why the forces of international community are in Afghanistan and why they are active there is eliminated, our appeal is also that the international forces leave Afghanistan and go back home. But all of the members of the anti-terror coalition like ISAF and NATO are ready to continue their commitment in Afghanistan and we do not have any sign that they will leave Afghanistan. We are very happy and they have our confidence. They have the support and solidarity of Afghan people. An absolute majority of the people of Afghanistan are happy that the international forces are there in Afghanistan and that is our common goal to make our region secure.

QUESTION: I have two questions. Dr. Spanta, in the region we have two important countries – Iran and Pakistan. Can you go into details whether what was their precise role in this session and what did they promise to do to enhance the possibilities for regional integration?

Mr. Mukherjee, you spoke of establishment of a Centre in Kabul. Is there a timeframe for that? What will be the job of this center?
AFGHAN FINANCE MINISTER: Since I participated a little bit more on those discussions, I will take this question.

Pakistan expressed its cooperation with regard to the three major projects. This is with regard to the role of Afghanistan in facilitating transportation between Central Asia, and between South Asia. With regard to the power or energy trading, since Pakistan would be a beneficiary in that regard and also with regard to trade facilitation and harmonization of the custom procedures. On all of these three points, Pakistan expressed its cooperation. Although the representative of Iran did not go into great details, but in general the representative of Iran was also cooperative and said they have endorsed the New Delhi Declaration so that they were also cooperative in this regard.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER: So far as the Centre is concerned, it is an Asian Development Bank Project. The major objective of the center would be to carry out studies for in-depth and vigorous pursuit of the constructive, practical and specific initiatives for regional development. We are trying to institute the Centre as early as possible. But certain preparations and detailed project reports are to be worked out.

QUESTION: Mukherjee Sahab, do you foresee any possibility of Indian military engagement inside Afghanistan in peacekeeping operations, in anti-terrorist operations there?
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER: We have not received any such request and I do not see any feasibility in the near future.

QUESTION (DNA): Mr. Mukherjee, with the resurgence of the Taliban, how worried are we about the security of our people working there in different projects in Afghanistan? And, are we planning to beef up security or anything of that sort?

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER: In fact we have already made some security arrangements with some of our paramilitary forces with the cooperation of Afghan Government. After all the objective of these people is to see that India withdraws from the developmental activity in Afghanistan. Therefore, we refuse to succumb to the pressure of these groups of people, these Taliban, and our commitment to engage ourselves in the development of Afghanistan is firm. Therefore, whatever is possible to ensure the security of the persons engaged in different developmental activities, is being carried on with the support and cooperation of the Afghan Government. To supplement that effort, we have also put some of our Central Paramilitary Forces engaged therein.

(Concluded)

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