India “looking positively” at UN meeting on Afghanistan in Doha

India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Thursday that India is looking “positively” at the meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan to be hosted by UN chief Antonio Guterres in Doha next month.

Guterres will be hosting the meeting in Doha on May 1 and 2.

“We’re looking at it. We’re looking at it positively, but I guess we’ll take a call closer to the time but we are looking at it,” Jaishankar said in response to a question on whether India will be participating in the meeting.

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said the purpose of the meeting is to reinvigorate international engagement around the common objectives for a durable way forward on the situation in Afghanistan.

“The Secretary-General has said and continues to believe that it’s an urgent priority to advance an approach based on pragmatism and principles, combined with strategic patience, and to identify parameters for creative, flexible, principled, and constructive engagement.

“It is his aim that the discussions, which will be held behind closed doors, can contribute to a more unified consensus regarding the challenges ahead,” Dujarric said.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has freshly called for Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations to be handed over to IEA’s representative.

“Without a doubt, this is an injustice to the people of Afghanistan. A great nation in this region should have its place in the United Nations, and in all discussions about Afghanistan, there should be the real representative of the people of Afghanistan, which is currently the Islamic Emirate,” Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman of IEA, said.

He said that putting pressure on the IEA will not work and it will rather undermine the credibility of the foreign community.