Minister of State for External Affairs General Vijay Kumar Singh met Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and the country's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah here on Wednesday on the sidelines of the two-day Geneva ministerial Conference on Afghanistan which began on November 27.
"Partnering in Afghanistan's efforts for peace & prosperity. MOS @Gen_VKSingh is representing India at the Geneva Conference on Afghanistan being held on 27-28 November. On the sidelines of the conference, MOS called on the President of Afghanistan," tweeted Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
He also announced Singh's meeting with Abdullah Abdullah. "Prioritising progress and commitment. MOS @Gen_VKSingh met with the @afgexecutive Dr. Abdullah on the sidelines of the #GVAAfghanistan2018. Both emphasised the importance of development & reform and the need for a constructive contribution to peace and security," he tweeted.
Kumar also reinforced India's support for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned approach towards peace in the country. He mentioned that the MoS is at the Geneva talks which aims to show the international community's solidarity for the people of Afghanistan and strengthing the government's efforts towards development, peace and security across the country.
The European Union announced a comprehensive package of development assistance worth EUR 474 million for Afghanistan on the first day of the conference. This package supports state and resilience building, the reform of the justice sector, zero hunger and quality health, a democratic electoral process and the addressing of challenges of migration and forced displacement in the country.
The conference is being held in Geneva at the Palais des Nations to demonstrate progress and commitment between the Afghanistan government and the international community, and maintain the momentum for elections and opportunities for peace in Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The ongoing conference focuses on policy and strategy, rather than pledging activities like the Tokyo conference in 2012 or the 2016 Brussels conference.
The conference will also play a crucial role in measuring results against the USD 15.2 billion committed by the international community for Afghanistan in 2016.
The Tokyo Conference in 2012 introduced the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF), under which high-level periodic reviews take place. The senior officials meetings are held in Kabul, while ministerial level meetings are held outside Afghanistan.
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