Strategic pact with India to be enforced

KABUL): India’s role is crucial to training and equipping of Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers and there is no barrier to enforcing the strategic agreement between the two countries, a Ministry of Defence official said on Monday.

At a press conference in Kabul, MoD spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi said Afghanistan enjoyed friendly relations with India and had also signed a strategic agreement with that country.

India’s security cooperation with Afghanistan would continue and under the strategic pact, New Delhi would train and equip Afghan security forces, especially ANA soldiers, he added.

“There is no barrier to enforcing these memoranda of understanding and agreements regarding cooperation between India and Afghanistan,” the spokesman explained.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Janan Musazai hailed India as a strategic partner of Afghanistan. The two signed the first long-term strategic agreement in October 2011.

Under the accord, many Afghan security officers are being trained by India, he said, hoping relations between the two countries would further grow in the future.

Afghanistan maintained cooperative links with other countries in its own national interest and would not let anyone misuse the relations to threaten a third state, he explained.

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