Afghanistan and India have agreed to jointly fight terrorism, a statement of the Afghan Presidential Palace released here Monday said.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is paying an official visit to India from Aug. 3-5 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Karzai went straight from the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo to New Delhi after the SAARC summit.
Both leaders attended the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit held in Colombo on Aug. 2-3.
"The leaders expressed their determination to fight terrorism jointly and with all the forces at their command," the statement of the Afghan presidency added.
It is their first meeting between the two leaders after the deadly terrorist attack against the Indian embassy to Afghanistan in early July, during which 41 persons including two Indian diplomats were killed and 141 others injured.
The Indian Prime Minister reassured his government's firm support to the reconstruction of Afghanistan in the meeting with President Karzai.
"Prime Minister Dr. Singh conveyed to President Karzai that all of India's commitments to Afghanistan would be fully met," the statement added.
Moreover, the Indian Prime Minister announced additional 450 million U.S. dollars to Afghanistan while India has contributed 750 million U.S. dollars over the past nearly seven years.
India has been engaged in running several development projects mostly in the field of road construction in the post-Taliban Afghanistan.
"The two leaders reaffirmed their common interest in developing a robust, strategic partnership, building on the foundation of the historically rich ties and suited to the dynamic of the 21st century," the statement noted.
One day earlier, the Afghan President, during his first meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani at the SAARC summit, vowed to chalk out a common strategy to overcome challenges facing the two neighboring states, particularly in dealing with terrorism and militancy.
Source: Xinhua
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