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Jaishankar says safe return of Indian nationals is our priority

INDIA is carefully monitoring the situation in Afghanistan but its first priority is the safe return of Indian nationals, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said.

He added that India's approach to the Afghanistan situation would be guided by the country's relationship with the Afghan people.


"At the moment, we, like everybody else, are very carefully following developments in Afghanistan. Our focus is on ensuring security in Afghanistan and the safe return of Indian nationals," Jaishankar told media after chairing a UN Security Council meeting on peacekeeping in New York.

"For us, it is our historical relationship with Afghan people. That relation with Afghan people obviously continues. That will guide our approach to Afghanistan in the coming days," he said.

When asked if India has had any communication with Taliban yet, Jaishankar said: "At this point of time, we're looking at what is the situation in Kabul. Obviously, the Taliban and its representatives have come to Kabul. So we need to take it on from there."

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