India Reopens Embassy in Kabul After Four Years, Strengthening Ties with Afghanistan

After four years of limited diplomatic presence, India has reopened its embassy in Kabul, signaling a new phase in its engagement with Afghanistan. The move follows Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s recent visit to New Delhi, which marked a notable step toward strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
Earlier this month, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar announced that New Delhi would restore full diplomatic status to its mission in Kabul. The Indian embassy had been shut down in 2021 when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces. However, India reopened a smaller technical office the following year to assist with humanitarian relief, medical aid, and trade coordination.
According to a statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, “In keeping with the decision announced during the recent visit of the Afghan Foreign Minister to India, the government is restoring the status of the Technical Mission of India in Kabul to that of Embassy of India in Afghanistan with immediate effect.”
The ministry emphasized that this move reflects New Delhi’s intention to “deepen its bilateral engagement with the Afghan side in all spheres of mutual interest.” It added that the embassy will continue to play a key role in advancing India’s efforts toward Afghanistan’s development, humanitarian support, and capacity-building programs, aligned with the aspirations of the Afghan people.
The decision places India among more than a dozen countries — including Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran, and Turkiye — that currently maintain embassies in Kabul. Among these, Russia remains the only country to have formally recognized the Taliban government.