Krishna to participate in Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan

New Delhi, July 6 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna will head an Indian delegation that will participate in the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan.

The Tokyo Conference organized by the Government of Japan on July 8, follows the series of conferences organized on Afghanistan during the last one year.

The conference will be co-chaired by the Government of Japan and the Government of Afghanistan and will be attended by around 70 countries and international organizations.

The main aims of the Conference include ensuring sustainable development of Afghanistan beyond 2012 and reaffirming partnership between the international community and the Afghan Government until 2014 and during the transformation decade.

The agenda of the Conference includes long-term and sustainable economic development strategy of Afghanistan, aid coordination among international community members, improvement on governance of the Afghan Government and the regional economic cooperation.

India is an active member in the reconstruction and development efforts of Afghanistan. India and Afghanistan signed the Strategic Partnership Agreement in October, 2011 which reiterated India's long-terms commitment to the development and progress of Afghanistan.

Towards this, India organized the Delhi Investment Summit with the objective to attract foreign investment into Afghanistan in the light of new opportunities opening up in the areas like mining, hydrocarbon and infrastructure and investments in traditional sectors like agriculture, industry, capacity building and health and services, etc. The recommendations of the Delhi Investment Summit are to feed into the Tokyo Conference.

At the Tokyo Conference, Krishna is expected to emphasise India's long-terms commitment to assist the Afghan Government and its people in their efforts to build a peaceful, pluralistic, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan. (ANI)