Taliban Trade Minister Alhaji Nooruddin Azizi made a trip to New Delhi on Wednesday, aiming to secure trade agreements and investments, marking a significant step in India’s relationship with the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
To many people’s surprise, after Russia and China, India has emerged as a close ally of the Taliban. Notably, Russia is the only nation that officially recognizes them. The Taliban previously ruled Afghanistan, and in October, India reopened its embassy in Kabul, which had been closed during the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar stated in October that India was “fully committed to Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence,” expressing hope for “close cooperation” that could benefit “regional stability.”
Azizi was strategically selected as a special envoy since he is among the few senior officials in the regime. He isn’t an official Taliban member but traveled to New Delhi for discussions focused on “expanding economic cooperation, promoting trade ties, creating joint investment opportunities, and strengthening Afghanistan’s role in regional transport routes,” according to the Afghan Ministry of Trade.
“The development of bilateral trade and investment relations is the main focus of this visit,” noted Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Jaishankar remarked that on Thursday, the prime minister talked with Azizi about “ways to strengthen trade, connectivity, and people-to-people ties,” reaffirming India’s commitment to the development and well-being of Afghanistan’s populace.
Azizi also participated in the India International Trade Fair (IITF) on Wednesday, where he engaged with the Director-General of the Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO). The event showcased Afghan products available for Indian traders.
Being landlocked, Afghanistan is particularly eager to access ports and sea freight. India manages a port in Iran named Chabahar, which is easily reachable by land from Afghanistan.
Chabahar is currently under U.S. sanctions against Iran, but the Trump administration previously granted India sanctions relief. Just last week, this exemption was extended for another six months.
The deepening of the India-Afghanistan partnership can be partly attributed to tensions between Afghanistan and India’s neighboring rival, Pakistan. Islamabad is outraged with the Afghan Taliban, who they believe shelter terrorists aiming to destabilize the Pakistani government.
Since 2001, relations between Pakistan and the Taliban, who previously supported a U.S.-backed insurgency against the Kabul government, have deteriorated significantly, nearing the brink of war. With the border to Pakistan closed, the Taliban have begun seeking trade relations with India.
Conversely, India is looking to outmaneuver China for influence in Afghanistan. China is focused on integrating Afghanistan into the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project within the Belt and Road Initiative, hoping to create a land bridge that connects Afghanistan to Central Asia.
