Afghanistan's Taliban foreign minister visits India to build closer ties

NEW DELHI, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Afghanistan's Taliban foreign minister arrived in India on Thursday for talks aiming to foster economic ties with New Delhi in the first such visit by a leader of the Islamist group since it seized power in 2021. The six-day trip by Amir Khan Muttaqi highlights the Taliban's efforts to spur engagement with regional powers to secure eventual diplomatic recognition. He is set to meet Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and other officials to discuss a range of political, economic and trade matters. "We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues," foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X welcoming the minister. Muttaqi is also expected to speak with Indian business representatives, visit the ancient monument to love, the Taj Mahal, and a historic Islamic seminary, media said. He arrives in New Delhi after talks in Moscow with diplomats from Afghanistan's neighbours, who appeared to unite against U.S. President Donald Trump's stated aim of taking over the Bagram military base near Kabul, the capital. Russia is the only country to have yet recognised the Taliban administration, whose members are under U.N. sanctions including a travel ban and asset freeze, including Muttaqi, who got a temporary exemption to visit India. Historically, India and Afghanistan have had friendly ties but New Delhi does not recognise the Taliban and shut its embassy in Kabul after the U.S. withdrawal from the war-shattered country in 2021. New Delhi opened a small mission a year later to ease the way for trade, medical support and humanitarian aid, while its senior officials have held two-way talks with Taliban leaders. (Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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