India for more joint projects with China in Afghanistan

 India on Monday said it is ready for more joint projects with China in Afghanistan, a strife-torn country whose diplomats are being trained by both Beijing and New Delhi.


Already trained in India, 10 Afghan diplomats began their second 10-day stint in Beijing. 

The joint project between India and China was an outcome of the Wuhan Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping. 

"We are hopeful that in the months to come we will be able to identify more specific projects which can be jointly done by governments of India and China for the benefit of Afghanistan as desired by the government and people of Afghanistan," India's deputy envoy Acquino Vimal said here. 

He was speaking at the China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU). 

"India is firmly committed in Afghanistan's efforts to emerge as a united, peaceful, secure, stable, inclusive and economically vibrant nation. India and Afghanistan are close neighbours as well as strategic and development partners. 

"All the efforts of India as a development partner of Afghanistan has been based on the priorities set by the government and the people of Afghanistan. This has been our fundamental basis for any development partnership.

"I am happy to inform that through our scholarship and training programme, more than 3,500 Afghan diplomats are being trained in India every year," he said.-IANS