At UN, India Reiterates It Will Stand By Afghan People As It Did In Past

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India's approach to Afghanistan has always been guided by its historical friendship with its people and it will continue to be the case.

With a grave humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan, India on Monday said it is willing to stand by Afghans and called for unimpeded access to aid providers to the country as also a "non-discriminatory" distribution of relief supplies across all sections of the society. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that as an immediate neighbour, India is monitoring developments in Afghanistan with "understandable concern", and noted that the issue of travel and safe passage that can emerge as an obstacle to humanitarian assistance should be immediately sorted out. In a brief virtual address at the UN high-level meeting on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the minister also heightened the threat of rising poverty levels and said the same could have a catastrophic effect on regional stability. He said India's approach to Afghanistan has always been guided by its historical friendship with its people and it will continue to be the case.