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Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted at a joint press conference in India on Wednesday that the situation in Afghanistan was heading in the wrong direction – noting that the Taliban was “making progress” and calling reports the group had committed. atrocities of “deeply, deeply disturbing.” “
They “certainly don’t speak well of the Taliban’s intentions for the country as a whole,” he told ABC News.
Blinken paid a quick visit to New Delhi, where he and senior Indian officials focused on deepening US-India cooperation on key challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, China and climate change. But with the security situation in neighboring Afghanistan rapidly deteriorating, their meetings also focused on the withdrawal of US troops and the Taliban’s swift efforts to control more territory.
As he and other Biden officials have argued, however, he said the international community would make a “pariah state” out of an Afghan government that “does not respect the rights of its people, an Afghanistan that commits atrocities against his own people “.
“The Taliban say they are looking for international recognition, that they want international support for Afghanistan”, and that they want the lifting of sanctions and travel bans against their leaders, he said. he added, saying that there is “only one way” to achieve these goals “at the negotiating table.”
But the Taliban – who now control nearly half of the country’s districts since launching their offensive in May, according to the Pentagon – doesn’t appear to agree.
The group’s leaders have also denied responsibility for the atrocities mentioned by Blinken, including extrajudicial killings, forced displacement and attacks on civilian infrastructure – a sign that their promises remain empty and that they believe they can seize power. by force or that they do not have full control of their fractured forces across the country.
President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of US troops ahead of the 20th anniversary this fall of the September 11 attacks that brought US forces into Afghanistan to destroy Al-Qaida operations there and topple the Taliban government that brought them down. gave refuge.
In the weeks that followed, the Taliban seized control of dozens of districts by force or surrender, as they dragged out negotiations with the Afghan government to secure a ceasefire and decide on the future government of the country.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar agreed with Blinken that despite the deadlock in these talks, they were the only solution to the fighting in Afghanistan. But he declined to say how concerned the Indian government is now about the deteriorating security situation, calling instead “natural” and “inevitable” that “there will be consequences” to the US military withdrawal.
“What’s done is done. It’s adopted policy, and I think in diplomacy you take care of what you have,” he told ABC News – agreeing with Blinken that negotiations are the only solution.
But he subtly took issue with India’s neighbor and longtime adversary Pakistan, adding that “not everyone who agrees is doing what they say they will.” Without a direct mention, he called his support for the Taliban “a reality of the past 20 years.”
A senior State Department official said after the day’s meetings that the two sides did not make specific requests, but pledged to deepen cooperation and information-sharing on the situation.
“It’s a chance for us to talk, sort of, about the way forward and really where we can find pressure points to try to bring the Taliban in and come to a negotiated settlement,” they said.
The two foreign ministers were friends after their day of meetings – joking and praising US-India cooperation. Jaishankar said the two powers had “entered a new era”, with cooperation on COVID-19, defense, trade and investment, climate change and regional issues.
In particular, Blinken said the two countries “will be leaders in ending the pandemic,” as India ramps up vaccine production and exports, and the United States next month launches the first of 500 million doses promised by Biden at the G-7 summit.
The Biden administration had hoped to share three million of these doses with India, but they remain blocked by the Indian bureaucracy, which must first approve their importation, according to the senior State Department official, who added that they hoped for “a movement soon”.
As the growing partnership between the United States and India has upset the Chinese government, which has accused the two countries of trying to “contain” it, Jaishankar hit back on Wednesday – saying, “People have to get over it. idea that somehow the other countries on them. “
“For groups of countries, working together is not strange. It is the history of international relations,” he added, making Blinken laugh.
But much of that visit focused on China – including Blinken’s meeting on Wednesday morning with Dalai Lama representative, Tibetan Headquarters representative Ngodup Dongchung. This is the Biden administration’s first high-level engagement with the Tibetan leader and his team – one that is sure to anger Chinese officials who have long opposed US support for the spiritual figure.
The senior State Department official tried to downplay the importance of the meeting, saying they met “very briefly” so that Dongchung could present Blinken with a headscarf as a “gesture of goodwill and friendship.” .
Blinken also attempted to message with another meeting on Wednesday morning, starting his day in front of the cameras with a group of Indian civil society leaders. In front of the press, he explained that the democracies of the two countries “are work in progress … Sometimes this process is painful, sometimes it is ugly, but the strength of democracy is to embrace it”.
This process in India has been particularly ugly in recent years. Earlier this year, Freedom House, the US think tank, labeled India “partially free” for the first time in its annual global inquiry, after Narendra Modi’s government was accused of restricting the rights of minorities, especially Muslims; attack political opponents and the free press; and restrict human rights groups and NGOs.
With his morning meetings, Blinken tried to send a message on this, stressing the importance of a “vibrant civil society” and speaking openly about the struggles and flaws in American democracy, including the events of the 6th. January.
But during their press, Blinken was more conciliatory than critical of Modi and Jaishankar’s administration, saying Americans “admire” India’s “steadfast commitment to democracy, pluralism, human rights and fundamental freedoms “.
“As friends we talk about these issues. We talk about the challenges we both face in renewing and strengthening our democracies, and I humbly believe that we can learn from each other,” he added. , clearly highlighting the common ground, rather than risking alienating this essential new partner.
Jaishankar had a clearer advantage in response to the question – telling the reporter who asked that Modi’s changes are an effort to “really right the wrongs when they’re done” – the “don’t put off” kind of attitude. in question ”that critics say is at the heart of Modi’s democratic setback.
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