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India rejects Trump's plea on Afghanistan

New Delhi tacitly dismisses Trump's plea that India should do more in Afghanistan as it made billions in trade with the US
Last Updated 22 August 2017, 19:23 IST

India on Tuesday tacitly dismissed US President Donald Trump’s plea that India should do more in Afghanistan because it made billions of dollars in trade with America.

 India welcomed US President’s decision to step up efforts to decimate Taliban, Islamic State, Al Qaeda and other terror networks in Afghanistan.

India also welcomed Trump’s tough-talks asking Pakistan to stop providing safe havens to terrorists.

A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, however, also made it clear that India would continue to help Afghanistan, because people of the two countries shared ‘traditional friendship.’  

“We have been steadfast in extending reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan in keeping with our traditional friendship with its people. We will continue these efforts,” Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said.

Trump outlined America’s new strategy on Afghanistan during a speech on
Monday.

He said that India should help US more in Afghanistan as it made billions of dollars in trade with America.

New Delhi’s statement on Tuesday cited India’s ‘traditional friendship’ with Afghanistan as the reason for its assistance to the war-ravaged country dismissing Trump’s argument that India should be obliged to do more in Afghanistan because of its trade with America.

India has since 2001 spent $ 2 billion to build infrastructure across Afghanistan and help citizens of the conflict-torn country in diverse fields like education, health, agriculture, skill development, women empowerment, energy, infrastructure and strengthening of democratic institutions.

DH News Service

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(Published 22 August 2017, 15:55 IST)

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