Violence and terror imposed on Afghan people should end: India

Sushma Swaraj also expressed support for “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace and reconciliation process.”
“No business development, no investment can take place in a country suffering from terrorism,” Swaraj said. “To promote business development in our region, we agreed to fight the scourge of terrorism.”
She said that India, Central Asia and Afghanistan are societies which are tolerant and plural.
“The ideology of hate which the terrorists would like to spread has no place in our societies. We also need to ask that who these terrorists are, who funds them, how do they find sustenance, who protects and sponsors them,” Swaraj said.
“For almost two decades now, these are the people who would not let Afghanistan return to peace and normalcy. Terrorism seriously erodes all avenues of development which a country can have. No business development, no investment can take place in a country suffering from terrorism. To promote business development in our region, it will also be necessary to fight this scourge of terrorism together,” the diplomat said.
The dialogue was attended by also by Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani who noted that India and Central Asian partners have remained actively involved in in the post-conflict reconstruction and recovery of Afghanistan.
“In the midpoint of the Transformation Decade, as Afghanistan moves increasingly towards self-reliance, there is need for longer-term partnership and greater coherence and alignment of development cooperation, including by regional partners, in support of the national priorities in Afghanistan,” Rabbani said.
He said that considering its geographical location, Afghanistan can help unlock the enormous economic opportunities that exist in the region.
“Afghanistan can provide the most cost-effective transit routes, serving as a hub for energy supplies including from Central Asia to the energy markets of South Asia,” Rabbani said.
He said that in order to maintain and consolidate Afghanistan’s achievements in the areas of development cooperation and connectivity, it is “essential for our peace efforts to deliver positive results.”
He emphasized on the importance of the leadership and ownership of the peace efforts by Afghans.
“The region must do its part by doubling and tripling our collective efforts to address both the common challenges that confront us, and the inter-state differences that impede our shared progress in maintaining security and spreading prosperity across the region,” Rabbani said.