New Delhi: Nearly two months after the Kabul terror attack that killed seven Indians, Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrives here Sunday on a two-day visit for talks that will be dominated by India`s concerns over the security of Indians working in that country.
Describing India-Afghan ties as a "time-tested relationship", Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao Thursday said Karzai will come here on way to the 16th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Bhutan.
Karzai will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday, which will be dominated by the security situation in that country and steps required to bolster security of the over 3,500 Indians engaged in various reconstruction activities in the violence-torn country.
"We are constantly vigilant and seized of all these matters," Rao told reporters here when asked to react on reports that suggest more attacks are being planned on Indians in Afghanistan.
The visit will "contribute to strengthening the strategic partnership between India and Afghanistan", the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
"The visit provides an opportunity for both sides to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, and for India to express its firm commitment and support to the government and people of Afghanistan as they build a peaceful, democratic, pluralistic and prosperous Afghanistan," the ministry said.
Rao also stressed that India and the US are consulting on the situation in Afghanistan. "The US appreciates our developmental activities in Afghanistan," Rao said when asked whether there was a plan for India and the US to work together in the development sector in Afghanistan.
India has pledged $1.3 billion for multifarious reconstruction activities in Afghanistan.
-IANS
