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CATEGORY: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- India’s Position Shift on Taliban
The issue in news
Recently, A shift was seen in India’s position on engaging with the Taliban. As India participated in the commencement ceremony of Intra-Afghan talks between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar.
Main points
India’s Stand:
- India focuses on the peace process which is Afghan-led in every aspect.
- the national, territorial sovereignty and integrity of AFGHANISTHAN has to be respected .
- preservation of the interests of minorities, women and vulnerable sections of society must be kept in view
India’s Interests in Afghanistan:
- India has invested in development projects in Afghanistan like: the Afghan Parliament, the Zaranj-Delaram Highway, Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam (Salma Dam) among others.
Issues Involved:
- India is concerned about the Taliban’s links with Pakistan’s ISI . the India Afghanistan policy continues to be assessed through
Way Forward
- Re-evaluation of the decisions made by India based on unidirectional in its approach to deal with all forces that are central to the future of Afghanistan.
- USA-Maldives Framework on Defense and Security Relationship
The issue in news
USA and the Maldives Recently signed a Framework on Defense and Security Relationship
Main points
- Maintenance of peace and security in the Indian Ocean is the main focus of this framework.
- both USA and Maldives agreed promotes the security and prosperity of all nations in the region by reiterating their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific a range of bilateral activities are outlined in the framework like senior-level dialogues, engagements etc.
Significance for India
- India has not officially responded to the announcement of the framework
- This announcement can act as a signal to China. India has taken steps towards strengthening its strategic presence in both the IOR and Indo-Pacific.
- Track 1.5 dialogue between India, France and Australia to identify
- security challenges and sustainability issues in the Indo Pacific, Malabar Exercise and The Quad is also part of this process.