Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, met today (Thursday, November 20) with India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Jaishankar wrote on X that the two discussed ways to strengthen trade ties, regional connectivity, and people-to-people links. He added that India reaffirmed its support for Afghanistan’s development and the welfare of its people.
Mohammad Naeem, deputy foreign minister of the Taliban, said the meeting also covered Afghanistan’s use of the Chabahar port and the need to enhance bilateral trade and transit.
Azizi arrived in New Delhi yesterday for a five-day visit, at a time when relations between the Taliban and Pakistan have reached a peak of tension. Seeking alternative trade routes, he traveled first to Iran and then to India.
On the first day of his trip, he attended the “Pragati International Trade Fair” and met Afghan traders as well as the head of India’s Trade Promotion Organization. Azizi listened to Afghan traders’ concerns and said he would raise them with Indian officials.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce says the delegation’s aim is to activate and use Chabahar port more effectively, attract Indian investment there, and expand bilateral trade.
