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'Indian business see opportunities in Afghanistan'
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SME Times News Bureau | 18 Nov, 2013
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Monday cited the 1961 Hindi
film "Kabuliwala" to stress on the close links and trade ties between
India and Afghanistan and said India has an "open arms approach" to
Afghanistan.
Addressing a conference "Doing Business with
Afghanistan" at the FICCI house in New Delhi, Khurshid also said Indian business
saw big opportunities in Afghanistan's stability. Referring to the
Balraj Sahni starrer, he said the film had helped spur commerce between
the two countries.
"We have an open arms approach to Afghanistan,
our destinies are interlinked," said Khurshid at the conference that
was jointly organised by FICCI, the external affairs ministry and the
Afghanistan foreign affairs ministry.
He said India, which has $2
billion worth development projects in Afghanistan, has no exit policy
with regard to Afghanistan and would stay as long as it was needed.
"Indian
business sees enormous opportunity in Afghanistan's stability" and
looked forward to the future gains of Afghanistan becoming the major
stepping stone to connect to Central Asia and beyond into Europe, he
said.
Referring to the Chabahar port in Iran, which India is
upgrading, Khurshid said it would help in evacuation of minerals mined
in Afghanistan .
Afghanistan Finance Minister Hazrat Omar
Zakhilwal dismissed "doomsday predictions" about Afghanistan's future
post the 2014 drawdown by international forces as "totally flawed".
"Afghanistan
in 2014 and beyond will be more stable, unified and prosperous," said
Zakhilwal, adding: "You can't compare Afghanistan of today with that of
10 years ago."
He said the people of Afghanistan would
"absolutely not allow" the situation to revert back to what it was 10
years ago when it was under occupation.
His said his country was full of young aspiring people, with many of them educated in India, and eager to move forward.
Zakhilwal
said his country was more integrated today and the mobile phone had
reached right down to the interiors. Of the 30 million population, 18.5
million had access to mobile phones, while Afghanistan today had 30
national television channels from just one a decade ago.
The minister said unity and inclusivity would be the factors in the stability of Afghanistan.
Zakhilwal
said the Afghan security forces, which have taken over, are able to not
only maintain security but also "improve upon it".
"This has
primarily been possible because of the support of the people," he said,
adding that this year 300 suicide bombers had been sent to Afghanistan
to hurt the country.
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