India PM to visit Afghanistan

NEW DELHI, May 12 (Itar-Tass) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
will visit Afghanistan to discuss with the president of this country the
situation in the region and issues of combating terrorism. As the office
of the Indian prime minister reported, Singh is leaving for Afghanistan on
Thursday and will stay there for two days. For security reasons, the date
of the trip was not disclosed until Thursday.
As the prime minister said before the departure for Kabul, the visit
to Afghanistan continues the tradition of regular high-level contacts
between the two countries. President Hamid Karzai visited New Delhi in
February 2011. According to the prime minister, firm relations which have
deep historical roots were established between India and Afghanistan. As
the Indian prime minister stressed, India cannot be indifferent to the
development of the situation in Afghanistan since it is situated in the
same region. India, he said, comes out in favour of long-term cooperation
with Kabul.
The Indian prime minister recalled that New Delhi is rendering aid to
Afghanistan in its development and restoration and it has already
earmarked about 1.5 billion dollars for these purposes.
The striving of the Afghan population for peace and stability, as
Singh stressed, requires support of all countries of the region and the
whole international community. According to Singh, he is awaiting talks
with President Hamid Karzai during which they will exchange opinions on
the development of the situation in the region and issues of combating
terrorism. Earlier, the Indian prime minister visited Afghanistan in 2005.
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