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**Taliban Foreign Minister Arrives in India for Landmark Visit**
**New Delhi, India** – In a significant development, Afghanistan’s UN-sanctioned Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in India on Thursday, marking the first visit by a high-ranking Taliban official since the group regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. The visit, made possible by a temporary UN travel ban waiver, is being closely monitored regionally, especially by Pakistan, as India increases its engagement with the Taliban administration.
“We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues,” stated Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, extending a “warm welcome” to Muttaqi.
While the agenda for the talks between Muttaqi and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar remains undisclosed, trade and security are expected to be key discussion points. Despite the engagement, India has yet to formally recognize the Taliban government.
The visit underscores the Taliban’s push to broaden its diplomatic and economic ties with regional powers in its pursuit of international recognition. This follows recent meetings in Russia, which is the only country which has officially recognised the Taliban administration.
Muttaqi’s trip also comes on the heels of a regional meeting in Moscow, where Afghanistan’s neighbors, including India, Pakistan, Iran, China, and several Central Asian nations, issued a joint statement opposing the deployment of foreign military infrastructure in the region. This unified stance is widely seen as a signal of opposition to potential efforts to reestablish a US military presence in Afghanistan.
India has a long-standing relationship with Afghanistan, hosting a large Afghan diaspora and providing humanitarian aid. While the Afghan embassy in New Delhi closed last year, consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad continue to operate on a limited basis. India maintains a mission in Kabul focused on coordinating humanitarian assistance.
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