Taliban Trade Minister Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi traveled to New Delhi on Wednesday in search of trade deals and investments, taking the relationship between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and India another step forward.

To the surprise of many observers, India has become the Taliban junta’s best friend next to Russia and China. Russia is the only country to formally recognize Taliban rule over Afghanistan so far, but in October, India reopened the embassy in Kabul that it had shuttered during the Taliban conquest in 2021.

Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said in October that India was “fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan,” and hoped for “closer cooperation” that would contribute to “regional stability.”

Azizi — a st

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