India and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday called for an immediate, permanent and comprehensive nationwide ceasefire in Afghanistan.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is in London to attend the G-7 meeting, where India has been invited as a guest, held talks with EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell Fontelles on Afghanistan.
In a joint statement on Afghanistan, Jaishankar and Borrell jointly and firmly condemned the unacceptable level of violence perpetrated against the national forces of Afghanistan and civilians and the targeted assassinations of civil rights activists, media persons and Ulema.
They reiterated their call for an immediate, permanent and comprehensive nationwide ceasefire. An effective and unconditional cessation of hostilities is essential for creating the appropriate conditions for the negotiations to proceed meaningfully, for building trust between the parties, in instilling confidence in the Afghan people and for demonstrating a genuine commitment of the Taliban to lasting reconciliation.
Both sides reiterated the importance of ensuring that the soil of Afghanistan should not be used by terrorist groups to threaten the security of India and the EU.