Q. 4547: COAL MINING MOUS IN AFGHANISTAN

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:-

(a) the details of meetings held between the Prime Minister of India and the President of Afghanistan and also between the Minister of External Affairs and his Afghan counterpart during the last three years and the current year, year-wise; and

(b) the details of the issues discussed and decisions arrived at therein?

ANSWER: THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRIMATI PRENEET KAUR )

(a) The detail of meetings, year-wise, is listed below:

2012

# Prime Minister (PM) met President Hamid Karzai on the margins of the NAM Summit in Tehran, Iran on 30 August 2012.

# Foreign Minister of Afghanistan met External Affairs Minister (EAM) during his visit to Delhi to attend the Delhi Investment Summit on Afghanistan on 28 June 2012.

# Foreign Minister of Afghanistan met EAM during his visit to Delhi to attend the inaugural meeting of the India-Afghanistan Partnership Council on 1 May 2012.

2011

# PM met President Karzai on the margins of the SAARC Summit in Maldives on 11 November 2011.

# PM met President Karzai during the latter’s visit to Delhi on 4-5 October 2011 during which the India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement was signed.

# PM met President Karzai during his visit to Kabul on 12-13 May 2011.

# PM met President Karzai during the latter’s visit to Delhi on 2-3 February 2011.

# EAM called on President Karzai and met Foreign Minister of Afghanistan during his visit to Kabul on 8-9 January 2011.

2010

# Foreign Minister of Afghanistan called on PM and met EAM during his visit to Delhi on 23-24 August 2010.

# EAM called on President Karzai and met Foreign Minister of Afghanistan during his visit to Kabul on 19-21 July 2010 to attend the Kabul conference.

# President Karzai and Foreign Minister of Afghanistan met PM on 24 April 2010 during President Karzai`s visit to Delhi enroute to the SAARC Summit at Thimpu, Bhutan.

2009

# EAM called on President Karzai and met Foreign Minister of Afghanistan during his visit to Afghanistan on 18-19 November 2009 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Karzai.

# Foreign Minister of Afghanistan called on PM and met with EAM during his visit to Delhi on 25-28 July 2009.

# PM met President Karzai during the latter’s visit to Delhi on 11-12 January 2009.

(b) The various meetings have provided an opportunity to the leadership of both countries to exchange views on bilateral, regional and international issues with a view to strengthening bilateral relations. These discussions have, interalia, helped to reassure the people and the Government of Afghanistan of India`s unwavering support to Afghanistan; expand our development assistance for the benefit of the Afghan people; reiterate India`s long term commitment to Afghanistan beyond 2014; expand mutual cooperation in various fields; promote bilateral and international trade and investment with and in Afghanistan; and widen the nature of our relationship from a purely assistance-based developmental partnership to a wide-ranging and multi-faceted strategic partnership institutionalized in the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed between Afghanistan and India during President Karzai`s visit to India in October 2011.

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