New Delhi: – While the United States is preparing to withdraw its army from Afghanistan, US State Secretary Antony Blinken held telephonic discussions with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. Jaishankar posted about the discussion on social media. Foreign Minister Jaishankar said that discussions were held on the health situation in India, given the order of precedence of the US Security Council and the Coronavirus Pandemic.
US President Joe Biden has announced that the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan will be completed on 11th September. But Taliban is not willing to grant an extension beyond 1st May for the US military withdrawal. Taliban is threatening that this US decision is a violation of the agreement and the United States will be entirely responsible for the consequences. At the same time, it is clear that the Taliban is preparing for a fierce conflict in Afghanistan. Therefore, the United States is forced to make new deployments in Afghanistan for the security of its soldiers.
Against this background, US Secretary of State, Blinken, held discussions with the Indian Foreign Minister. All the details of the discussions have not been revealed. But Jaishankar indicated that there was a talk on the Afghanistan issue. Jaishankar clarified that discussions were regarding the Indian neighbours. While the issue of US military withdrawal is on the anvil, this discussion between Indian and US Foreign Ministers becomes significant.
Meanwhile, Jaishankar had visited United Arab Emirates (UAE) before these discussions. During this visit, the Indian Foreign Minister held talks with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Both the countries stressed making the bilateral cooperation more comprehensive on all levels. But this visit of the Indian Foreign Minister is a topic of discussions for different reasons.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also was on a visit to UAE, and claims were being made that the Indian and Pakistani Foreign Ministers could meet during this visit. Although both the countries have dismissed the claims, senior UAE officials have announced that UAE is mediating in these talks.
Although claims are being made that UAE is making these talks happen, some Pakistani journalists are claiming, in reality, it is the Biden administration in the United States that is behind this. Therefore, the importance of the discussions between Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Blinken after Jaishankar’s visit to UAE increases manifold.
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