The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has welcomed India’s decision to upgrade the Indian Technical Mission in Kabul into a full-fledged embassy, calling it a step toward strengthening regional stability and cooperation.

In a statement to The Hindu, Suhail Shaheen — the IEA’s Ambassador to Qatar — said the move will contribute to “building regional peace.”

“It is a rightful step to put bilateral relations on a normal track, build trust, promote trade and cooperation, and play a constructive role in regional peace,” Shaheen said.

“I welcome this decision and look forward to seeing good bilateral relations between Afghanistan and India.”

Shaheen described India’s decision as both “important and needed” for advancing relations across multiple sectors, including trade, development, and diplomacy.

The announcement follows Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s recent visit to New Delhi, during which both sides agreed to deepen engagement.

On Tuesday India officially restored full diplomatic ties with Kabul by upgrading its technical mission to an embassy “with immediate effect.”

According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the move will enhance India’s role in Afghanistan’s “comprehensive development, humanitarian assistance, and capacity-building initiatives,” aligning with the “priorities and aspirations of Afghan society.”

India had closed its embassy in Kabul and withdrawn all staff in August 2021, following the IEA’s takeover and the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government. The consulates in Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandahar, and Herat were also shut.

Diplomatic engagement was cautiously reinitiated on June 23, 2022, when India deployed a small technical team to Kabul to oversee humanitarian projects and provide limited consular services.

The upgrade to a full embassy marks India’s most significant diplomatic step in Afghanistan since 2021 and is being viewed in Kabul as a sign of growing trust and regional pragmatism.