AhlulBayt News Agency: India and Afghanistan have agreed to strengthen their diplomatic ties, with New Delhi announcing plans to open an embassy in Kabul, while the Taliban administration will send diplomats to the Indian capital.
On Friday, New Delhi declared that it would upgrade its technical mission in Kabul to full embassy status, marking its first high-level engagement with the Taliban administration since the group returned to power in 2021.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, currently visiting India, confirmed that the Taliban government will also dispatch diplomats to New Delhi. This visit marks the first trip to India by a Taliban official since 2021.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar made the announcement following bilateral talks with the Afghan foreign minister in New Delhi.
India’s top diplomat reaffirmed New Delhi’s commitment to Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.
He stated, “Closer cooperation between us contributes to your national development, as well as regional stability and resilience.”
Jaishankar added, “To enhance that, I am pleased to announce today the upgrading of India's Technical Mission in Kabul to the status of Embassy of India.”
Muttaqi told reporters on Friday, “India will raise its technical mission to a diplomatic mission in Kabul, and our diplomats will also come here.”
He emphasized that the goal is for both nations to gradually return to a state of “normalcy.”
The Afghan foreign minister described India as “a close friend.”
He noted that India was the first country to respond to recent earthquakes in Afghanistan by sending food and medical supplies.
Muttaqi added that the decision to restore diplomatic relations would “open a new chapter” in ties between the neighboring countries.
India had closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban’s takeover, which occurred after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces that ended two decades of foreign occupation.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the Indian embassy building has operated as a technical mission, focusing on humanitarian aid distribution.
Currently, around a dozen countries—including China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey—maintain embassies in Kabul.
Russia remains the only country to have officially recognized the Taliban administration, whose members are subject to UN sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes.
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