Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Afghanistan Benefits to Build Relations in the Region: Grossman

Afghanistan Benefits  to Build Relations in the  Region: Grossman

KABUL - US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman during a visit to India on Wednesday said the more Afghanistan builds relations with regional countries the more it ends up beneficial to the country. During his visit to New Delhi, Grossman met with a number of senior Indian officials, including India's Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai.

He said that the strategic partnership document that India had signed with Afghanistan was a positive step and that the US was trying to negotiate a similar deal.

"I think that the strategic partnership document that India and Afghanistan signed is a positive development. As secretary Clinton has said, as all of us have said Afghanistan ought to have relations with all other countries in the neighborhood and as you know we (USA) are also trying to negotiate a strategic partnership document with Afghanistan, so the more of these relationships the Afghans have, seems to me the better," he said.

The envoy said investment by the Indian private sector into Afghanistan was of extreme importance and could lay the foundation of a new silk road.

India is one of Afghanistan's biggest bilateral donors, having pledged about $2 billion since the 2001 US led-invasion for projects from the construction of highways to the building of the Afghan parliament.
After the end of his visit to India, Obama's special envoy to the region flew to Pakistan and met with Pakistani officials in Islamabad.

His visit from Pakistan came as relations between Pakistan, the Untied States have gone murky over Pakistan still keeping its connection with Haqqani network which was behind of September 13th attack on US embassy and Nato Headquarters in Kabul.

During meeting Pakistan's Prime Minister Sayed Yusuf Reza Gillani said the relationship between Pakistan and United States must go beyond coordination on counter-terrorism.

The meeting focused on the ties Pakistan and the US with special reference to Afghanistan and the current regional and international issues.

Pakistan has long been under pressure from the International Community for providing support to insurgent networks that target US troops in Afghanistan.