Top 5 takeaways from India–Afghanistan Taliban meeting in Delhi. What S Jaishankar, Amir Khan Muttaqi said

India plans to reopen its Kabul embassy four years after its closure, following a meeting between S Jaishankar and Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

In a significant diplomatic development, India announced plans to reopen its embassy in Kabul, four years after it was shut down following the Taliban’s takeover, as external affairs minister S Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with Afghanistan’s Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi on Friday, marking the first high-level engagement between the two sides since 2021.

Afghanistan's foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi speaks during a bilateral meeting with external affairs minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi on Friday. (ANI)

The meeting, seen as a key shift in India’s Afghanistan policy, underscored New Delhi’s intent to re-establish a formal diplomatic presence in the war-torn country while balancing strategic interests against regional rivals Pakistan and China.

Russia is the only country to officially recognise the Afghan Taliban government since they seized control of the country in August 2021.

Both ministers stressed the need for deeper cooperation, mutual respect, and stability in the region, with the Taliban side assuring that Afghan soil would not be used against any country.

Here are top 5 takeaways from the Jaishankar–Muttaqi meeting:

1. Embassy reopening: India announced it will reopen its embassy in Kabul, upgrading its existing technical mission to a full diplomatic presence, the first such move since the Taliban takeover. While Jaishankar did not mention a specific timeline for reopening, the move signifies India’s intent to expand its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan and deepen cooperation in key sectors such as trade, health and education.
2. India’s commitment: Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s “full commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan", stressing that deeper cooperation would aid both Afghanistan’s development and regional stability.
3. Taliban assurances: Amir Khan Muttaqi said Afghanistan “will not allow any group to use its territory against others", a statement seen as reassurance to India regarding terrorism concerns.
4. Mutual engagement: Both sides emphasised trade, humanitarian aid, and people-to-people ties, with Muttaqi calling India a “close friend” and advocating a “consultative mechanism” to strengthen relations.
5. Strategic realignment: The meeting signals India’s pragmatic engagement with the Taliban amid growing regional competition with China and Pakistan, and reflects Kabul’s push for wider diplomatic legitimacy.

What Jaishankar, Muttaqi said:

Amir Khan Muttaqi: Muttaqi said the two sides should build on their civilisational and people-to-people ties over the centuries and “close policy positions on many issues” to increase engagements and exchanges.

“We hope that through talks and dialogue, we can increase the level of understanding between us.”

“We will not allow any [element] to threaten anyone else or use the territory of Afghanistan against others. Daesh is a challenge for the region and Afghanistan is at the frontlines of this struggle.”

“The need of our region is that we combat this menace together, and this is a need for the common prosperity of both nations.”

Muttaqi also said the Taliban never “gave a statement against India” amid the “many ups and downs” witnessed during the American occupation of Afghanistan, and instead “always sought good relations with India”.