<p>Krishna, who arrived at Kabul on Saturday will hold bilateral talks with Karzai on Sunday where the focus will also be on taking up the proposed India-US joint projects in the areas of capacity building, agriculture and women empowerment. <br /><br />The three areas were part of the joint statement that India and the US issued at the end of president Barack Obama’s visit to India last year.<br /><br />Sending out warm signals of enhanced relationship on his arrival, Krishna said: “ I am delighted to be in Kabul. India and Afghanistan have a deep, abiding, historical and civilisational relationship that stretches over the centuries. As a neighbour and a partner of Afghanistan, India stands firmly with the government and people of Afghanistan as they march towards peace and prosperity.”<br /><br />He added: “I look forward to detailed consultations with the leadership of Afghanistan on further broadening and deepening our bilateral relationship and on regional and international issues of mutual interest.”<br /><br />Although India has not taken up any major infrastructure project in Afghanistan of late—it is constructing the Parliament building there and a power project, both to be completed this year—Krishna is likely to assure Karzai that India would be interested in involving in infrastructure projects if Afghanistan wants it to.<br /><br />“This is a period of transition. We will discuss how this will work out and how we can help out Afghanistan,” an official told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />The external affairs minister may also bring up the issues of phased withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and inform Karzai of New Delhi’s stand favouring a ‘situation-based pullout’ rather than a calendar-bound one. Krishna is likely to state that India will support a stand that international community should engage Afghanistan till the “job is done”.<br /><br />As it stands now, the US is expected to start pulling out its forces from July this year, to be completed by 2014. In last year’s London conference on Afghanistan, India is likely to suggest that all regional players including itself should be involved in the implementation of the pullout. The London declaration had also called for reconciliation and re-integration efforts in Afghanistan.<br /><br />Krishna on Saturday called on Afghanistan vice presidents Qassem Fahim and Mohammed Qanooni and former speaker Mohammed Younus Qanooni. The two sides had a similar outlook on the challenges Afghanistan faced including terrorism, which they were determined to counter with all their might.</p>
<p>Krishna, who arrived at Kabul on Saturday will hold bilateral talks with Karzai on Sunday where the focus will also be on taking up the proposed India-US joint projects in the areas of capacity building, agriculture and women empowerment. <br /><br />The three areas were part of the joint statement that India and the US issued at the end of president Barack Obama’s visit to India last year.<br /><br />Sending out warm signals of enhanced relationship on his arrival, Krishna said: “ I am delighted to be in Kabul. India and Afghanistan have a deep, abiding, historical and civilisational relationship that stretches over the centuries. As a neighbour and a partner of Afghanistan, India stands firmly with the government and people of Afghanistan as they march towards peace and prosperity.”<br /><br />He added: “I look forward to detailed consultations with the leadership of Afghanistan on further broadening and deepening our bilateral relationship and on regional and international issues of mutual interest.”<br /><br />Although India has not taken up any major infrastructure project in Afghanistan of late—it is constructing the Parliament building there and a power project, both to be completed this year—Krishna is likely to assure Karzai that India would be interested in involving in infrastructure projects if Afghanistan wants it to.<br /><br />“This is a period of transition. We will discuss how this will work out and how we can help out Afghanistan,” an official told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />The external affairs minister may also bring up the issues of phased withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and inform Karzai of New Delhi’s stand favouring a ‘situation-based pullout’ rather than a calendar-bound one. Krishna is likely to state that India will support a stand that international community should engage Afghanistan till the “job is done”.<br /><br />As it stands now, the US is expected to start pulling out its forces from July this year, to be completed by 2014. In last year’s London conference on Afghanistan, India is likely to suggest that all regional players including itself should be involved in the implementation of the pullout. The London declaration had also called for reconciliation and re-integration efforts in Afghanistan.<br /><br />Krishna on Saturday called on Afghanistan vice presidents Qassem Fahim and Mohammed Qanooni and former speaker Mohammed Younus Qanooni. The two sides had a similar outlook on the challenges Afghanistan faced including terrorism, which they were determined to counter with all their might.</p>
