9 DECEMBER2021In the India-Central Asia dialogue, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India and the Central Asian countries had similar concerns and objectives in Afghanistan, and flagged the goals of "a truly inclusive and representative government, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, ensuring unhindered humanitarian assistance, and preserving the rights of women, children, and the minorities.""We all also share deep-rooted historical and civilizational ties with Afghanistan," Jaishankar said. "We must find ways of helping the people of Afghanistan." Other countries which were present included Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan.In a joint statement, the foreign ministers said the countries discussed the "current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region." They "reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasising the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs," the statement said.The ministers said there was "a broad `regional consensus' on the issues related to Afghanistan, which includes the formation of a truly representative and inclusive government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, the central role of the UN, providing immediate humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people and preserving rights of women, children and other national ethnic groups."The ministers "condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reiterated that providing safe haven, using terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism, terror financing, arms and drugs trafficking, dissemination of a radical ideology, and abuse of cyberspace to spread disinformation and incite violence goes against the basic principles of humanity and international relations."The ministers also called on the international community to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation and to fully implement relevant UNSC resolutions, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and FATF standards, the joint statement said. IN FOCUSTeamByFOREIGN MINISTERS ADDRESSES RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND CHILDRENIN AFGHANISTAN MEETEXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER S JAISHANKAR SAID INDIA AND THE CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES HAD SIMILAR CONCERNS AND OBJECTIVES IN AFGHANISTAN
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