A special mention must be made of my visit to Afghanistan earlier this month which has intensified ourcontacts with the highest levels of the leadership in that country. In the months since the fall of theTaliban regime, India’s approach has been one of strong support for a united, strong and stable Afghanistan,the consolidation of democracy and civil society within that country, a political dispensation that isrepresentative of all ethnic groups, and for the effective reconstruction of the country based on the needs ofthe Afghan government and people. My visits to Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Kandahar, besides Kabul, reflectedour continuing contacts and cooperation with all sections of Afghan society and regions, and our support for astrong, united, independent and sovereign Afghanistan.
At the recent Session of the Council of SAARC Ministers in Kathmandu, I made the crucial point that thebilateral relationship between India and Pakistan should not be allowed to cloud the SAARC process. The region’soverarching goal of poverty alleviation, of attaining developmental milestones, and seeking closer economicintegration must not be held hostage to any bilateral relationship between two member countries. Regionaleconomic integration is an inevitability. Trade imbalances are an issue in our relations with some of ourneighbours, and I have stated clearly in my interactions in Nepal and Bangladesh for instance, that India isprepared to go more than half way in meeting the trade-related concerns of our smaller neighbours. At the sametime, I have stressed that economic issues must be seen as economic and not as emotion-driven. Within SAARC,India has emphasized the need for early completion of the SAPTA negotiations, thus enabling the membercountries to move on to working towards SAFTA.