India and Iran both have shown interest in establishing long-term contact with each other regarding the situation in Afghanistan. During a current visit of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili to India, both the Iranian and Indian authorities discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the future possible developments as one of the main topics. Saeed jalili along with the Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid agreed that they need to "remain in very close touch" with each other in the run-up to the 2014 drawdown and the scenario thereafter.
It is a clear fact that the circumstances in Afghanistan are going to effect the neighboring and the regional countries to a large extent and the same is true vice versa. Moreover, the honest support of the neighboring and the regional countries are going to play a dominant role in establishing long-lasting peace in Afghanistan.
Keeping the sovereignty and the integrity of Afghanistan in full consideration the countries like Iran, India, Pakistan, Russia and China can play a tremendous role in the future stability of the country. Afghanistan on the other hand also requires establishing enduring relations with these states along with the healthy relations with US and other Western countries as the period after the withdrawal of international forces will be a very important one and the country would require facing myriads of challenges.
Afghanistan along with its neighbors can form a cooperation that can not only support the country but the region as well. Some of the basic problems in Afghanistan are similar to those in the neighboring countries; therefore, proper collaboration can really assist them in resolving those problems. Moreover, Afghanistan has yet to make a lot of improvements and developments in the near future so as to become stable socially, politically and economically.
So as to develop the country, a great acceleration in economic activities and political improvements would be required and with the assistance of the neighbors and neighbors of neighbors the task would not be very difficult to accomplish.
On the other hand, it must also be kept in mind that Afghanistan, because of its strategic importance and geographical location can be of great importance to the neighbors as well. Many strategic and economic projects are highly dependent on Afghan land and decision making people in the country can really cash all these opportunities by strengthening ties and cementing relations for different spheres of life.
It is really important for Afghanistan in the contemporary scenario that it must strengthen the regional ties along with the international ones. Afghanistan along with its neighbors can form a cooperation that can not only support the country but the region as well.
Some of the basic problems in Afghanistan are similar to those in the neighboring countries; therefore, proper collaboration can really assist them in resolving those problems. Moreover, Afghanistan has yet to make a lot of improvements and developments in the near future so as to become stable socially, politically and economically. Therefore, different sorts of strategic cooperation with the neighbors would pave the way for it. However, the history of Afghanistan's relations with the neighboring countries has not been very much extra-ordinary.
There have been political changes, movements and wars within the country that have kept on testing the regional relations and have made them fluctuate to a great extent. Moreover, these fluctuations and experiences have a lesson to teach to the entire region that only supportive role with the neighboring countries can guarantee bliss, tranquility and progress to the region and regional players have to learn this lesson.
Afghanistan should also make sure that it has to establish and promote healthy relations with the regional countries so that it should be able to go through the current transition period and ensure unwavering future. So as to develop the country, a great acceleration in economic activities and political improvements would be required and with the assistance of the neighbors and neighbors of neighbors the task would not be very difficult to accomplish. On the other hand, it must also be kept in mind that Afghanistan, because of its strategic importance and geographical location can be of great importance to the neighbors as well.
Many strategic and economic projects are highly dependent on Afghan land and decision making people in the country can really cash all these opportunities by strengthening ties and cementing relations for different spheres of life.
At the same time this important fact should never be forgotten that the regional cooperation can really work for Afghanistan and for the region only when the involved countries must work out their differences that cause the different perceptions of the strategic challenges and ultimately result into clash of interests.
The regional countries, with few exceptions, at the moment seem to be going on the divergent directions so as to achieve the regional interests. The regional countries seem to have different perceptions regarding the ongoing issues and process relevant to Afghanistan and region.
They have different opinions, as evident to a certain degree from their statements in the Conference, regarding the ongoing transition period, reconciliation process with Taliban, withdrawal of international troops and the permanent US bases in Afghanistan. On the other hand their veiled policies show further discrepancies.
The purpose of such a conclusion is not to say that the regional countries must not have their own interests. They should have and each one of them must pursue its own national interests but their regional cooperation can only be fruitful once they discover the issues that are common to the region and influence all of them alike.
For that issue they have to sit together and must negotiate upon their differences and try to find out a single course of action. Insecurity and terrorism form a common dilemma for the entire region in general and for Afghanistan in particular. A unanimous decision regarding the issue must be taken by the regional countries so as to form a real cooperation that has the capacity to assist Afghanistan and the region.