UNITED NATIONS: The United States, Afghanistan and India have agreed to align their assistance with the priorities to help the government in Kabul, said an official statement.

Delegations from the three countries met in New York on Wednesday on the margins of the 71st United Nations General Assembly, for a round of Afghanistan-India-US consultations.

“The meeting provided a forum for the US government and the government of India to explore ways to coordinate and align their assistance with the priorities of the Afghan government,” the US State Department said.

Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai, Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Manpreet Vohra and US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson, met to exchange views on the situation in Afghanistan and on regional issues of mutual interest.

Reaffirming their shared interests in advancing peace and security in the region, as well as countering terrorism, all sides welcomed the discussions focused on political, economic, and development goals in Afghanistan, including the regional dimension.

They agreed that the dialogue helps advance shared values and goals, and decided to continue these consultations on a regular basis.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2016