India will upgrade its technical mission in Afghanistan to a full embassy, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Friday, as he met his counterpart from Kabul in New Delhi.

“I am pleased to announce today the upgrading of India’s Technical Mission in Kabul to the status of Embassy of India,” Jaishankar told Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Russia is the only country to officially recognise the Afghan Taliban government since they seized control of the country in August 2021.

UN-sanctioned Amir Khan Muttaqi’s trip to India — cleared after the Security Council granted him a travel waiver — is expected to be closely watched by neighbouring Pakistan, as New Delhi deepens its engagement with the Taliban government.

Muttaqi’s visit is the first visit by a top Taliban leader to India since they retu

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