Afghanistan shuts down embassy in New Delhi
The Afghanistan embassy in New Delhi announced on Saturday night that it was shutting down its operations from today, citing "lack of support" by the Indian government, failure to meet expectations in serving Afghanistan's interests, and reduction in personnel and resources.
In a statement, the Afghan embassy said it regrets to announce the decision to cease its operations effective October 1, 2023.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "It is with profound sadness, regret, and disappointment that the Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi announces this decision to cease its operations," the statement said.
The embassy said this decision, while deeply regrettable, was made after careful consideration, taking into account the historic ties and long-standing partnership between Afghanistan and India.
The statement listed the key factors affecting its ability to continue the mission effectively and said they were the primary reasons for the "unfortunate closure".
The embassy alleged it has experienced a notable absence of crucial support from the host government, which it said hindered its ability to carry out duties effectively.
The mission also cited "failure to meet expectations in serving Afghanistan's interests" as one of the reasons.
"We acknowledge our shortcomings in meeting the expectations and requirements necessary to serve the best interests of Afghanistan and its citizens due to the lack of diplomatic support in India and the absence of a legitimate functioning government in Kabul," the mission said.
It also said that "due to unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, there has been a significant reduction in both personnel and resources available to it, making it increasingly challenging to continue operations.
"The lack of timely and sufficient support from visa renewal for diplomats to other critical areas of cooperation led to an understandable frustration among our team and impeded our ability to carry out routine duties effectively," the statement added.
The embassy has been headed by Ambassador Farid Mamundzay.
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