Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi on October 9 for a week-long visit, marking the first high-level delegation from Kabul since the Taliban assumed power in August 2021, reports 24brussels.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced his arrival on social media, stating, “We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues.” During his visit from October 9 to 16, Muttaqi is scheduled to meet with his Indian counterpart and other senior officials to discuss expanding relations between Kabul and New Delhi.

India does not formally acknowledge the Taliban; however, Jaiswal confirmed ongoing engagement with the interim Afghan government, emphasizing diplomatic exchanges and humanitarian assistance following a recent earthquake in the region. In May, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had previously communicated with Muttaqi via phone, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met him in Dubai earlier this year.

The United Nations Security Council has granted a temporary exemption on international travel restrictions for Muttaqi, allowing him to remain in India during this week. His prior planned visit was canceled after he failed to secure a visa waiver.

Muttaqi’s arrival in India followed his participation in the 7th meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, held on October 7, where representatives from Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan convened to discuss regional integration and cross-border economic initiatives. Russia recently became the first country to recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

In an interview with Tolo News, Muttaqi rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand to regain control of Bagram Air Base, stating, “Not even one metre of Afghan land will be given to the Americans.” Former Union Minister of State for External Affairs, M.J. Akbar characterized Muttaqi’s visit as significant, indicating a global outreach towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India.

“It’s a very important visit because it shows that the world is reaching out to Prime Minister Modi and to India. Nobody expected that relations with the Taliban would reach a point where we would actually have an official visit from their foreign minister. It’s a very significant development,” he remarked.