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India will be upgrading its technical mission in the Afghan capital Kabul to an embassy, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Friday.
Jaishanar informed Afghanistan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi that the bond between the two nations is historical and the country has always helped the Afghan people whenever they face any trouble, including natural calamities.
The embassy in Kabul was downgraded four years ago, and consulate offices in smaller cities were shut down amid clashes between the Taliban and the former Afghan government.
Due to the violence, the Indian government deployed military aircraft to evacuate embassy personnel; two C-17 transport planes flew in late August 15 and early August 16 to bring back staff.
After 10 months, India resumed diplomatic presence in Kabul. A technical team was deployed to the embassy, but only after the Taliban, which had by then captured the government, said adequate security would be provided if Delhi were to send officials back to the Afghan capital.
However, now the relations with Afghanistan have improved further. Muttaqi, in his statement, highlighted that the Taliban will not allow its soil to be used to launch terror attacks on India. Muttaqi lavished praise on India in and after his meeting with Jaishankar, recalling swift support after the devastating earthquake on August 31. More than 2,000 people were killed in that disaster, and over 5,000 homes were destroyed.
