PM Modi to hold bilateral talks with Afghan President

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, who arrived in New Delhi last evening on a three-day visit to India, will have bilateral engagements with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

The visiting dignitary would call on Prime Minister Modi at the Hyderabad House, which will be followed by delegation-level talks between both sides.

President Ghani will be accorded a ceremonial reception today after which he would lay a wreath at the Rajghat.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj would then call on the Afghan President.

Among other ministers expected to call on President Ghani are Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman.

Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari would call on the Afghan President at 4 p.m.

Later in the evening, the Afghan President would meet President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Afghan President will hold a joint interaction with business leaders from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Associated Chambers of Commerce of India before concluding the visit.

India and Afghanistan have a strong relationship based on historical and cultural links. The relationship is not limited to the governments in New Delhi and Kabul, and has its foundations in the historical contacts and exchanges between the people.

In recent past, the relations between India and Afghanistan have been further strengthened by the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed in 2011.