India would continue to support Afghanistans rebuilding

Indias foreign minister Salman Khurshid on Monday assured Afghanistan that India would continue to support the countrys rebuilding efforts. Addressing the conference on "Doing Business with Afghanistan" in New Delhi, Khurshid said Indias pledge for USD 2 billion as humanitarian aid was just the beginning of a process to reach out to the provinces and districts as the Afghan people move ahead in re-building their nation. "We have an open arms approach and we hope that your confidence in yourself will reflect the confidence you repose in India," he said while addressing the Indian and Afghan participants. "As the lead country in supporting Afghanistans nation building process, we have no exit policy and we will be with you for so long as you desire, in good times and bad times," he added. The Indian foreign minister said that it was important for Indian business to see and seize the enormous business opportunities in Afghanistan, and once ties are firmly established they will become major stepping stones and hubs for Indias outreach in South Asia, extending to Europe, and in Russia. Khurshid said, on the question of success of Afghanistan's efforts to re-build its institutions, "We should say that Afghanistan should succeed and express the confidence that Afghanistan will succeed." Afghanistans Minister for Finance, Dr. Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, pointed out in the conference that the Afghan government was committed to unleashing more and deeper reforms to make the business environment friendlier. "The future of Afghanistan resting on the planks of transit, trade and tourism will positively contribute to internal stability and stability in the region," he said. He called upon the international business community not to be swayed by doomsday prediction of chaos in Afghanistan as the country was today undergoing three major transitions: security, political and economic.