Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday met with visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and expressed India's support to the aspiration of the Afghan people to build a peaceful, prosperous, democratic and pluralistic nation, according to the Indo-Asian News Service.
Singh also conveyed "his best wishes" to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other leaders of Afghanistan for the forthcoming elections next month and hoped it would strengthen the democratic process in Afghanistan, according to the news service, reported Xinhua.
The foreign ministers of India and Afghanistan earlier issued a joint statement saying they would intensify cooperation in fighting terrorism which they said is "the most important security threat facing the region."
Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Afghan counterpart held "wide-ranging" talks Monday evening here, during which they also agreed to set up a partnership council to enhance developmental cooperation.
"The two ministers reaffirmed the abiding determination of the two governments to work for making South Asia an abode of peace, prosperity, moderation and cooperation," the statement said.
"They highlighted terrorism as the most important security threat facing the region and reiterated their full resolve to combat it," the statement said.
The two countries also decided to establish an India- Afghanistan Partnership Council to help the reconstruction of Afghanistan with greater vigour despite the attack on Indian Embassy in Kabul last July.
The council will be composed of separate groups on political consultation, capacity development and education, power and water, culture, trade and industry, health, and agriculture, according to the statement.
"This will harness greater institutional support for the implementation of ongoing programs and enlarge development cooperation between the two countries," the statement said.
India has pledged over 1.2 billion U.S. dollars in developmental assistance to Afghanistan that covers a range of economic and social developmental activities. Over 4,000 Indians are engaged in different reconstruction projects in Afghanistan.