… Indian assistance in Afghanistan is focused on, ‘Afghan led, Afghan owned and controlled,’ projects … India’s Small Development Projects are spread all over the country … economic development is the basic foundation for peace in Afghanistan … it has to be owned, led and controlled by them - a point emphasised by Indian policy makers … external actors particularly China and Pakistan have a limited role in that …

… India-Nepal relations are a vast confluence of socio political and economic engagements …evolved from age-old ties and permeate our socio-cultural aspects …multi-faceted and multi-dimensional approach is required on both sides to study and analyse our relationship...

Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) hosted a roundtable on ‘Recent Developments in Nepal-China Relations: Implications’. The key speaker, Mr. Sunil KC, CEO of Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs, Kathmandu, touched upon various aspects of Sino-Nepal relations, its implications for India-Nepal relations and the way forward for the South Asian region. The programme, coming in the backdrop of Nepalese Prime Minister K.P Oli’s recent visit to China, generated high level of interest and was well attended by subject experts from outside of VIF as well.

... insurgency in Afghanistan is a political problem; the military can create the right conditions for diplomatic talks to begin ... currently, Taliban is in no mood to negotiate ... Taliban who are ready to come around must be granted favourable options ... All this will take time and a lot of patience ... Finally, a favourable situation would emerge only if the US and NATO continue to stay and guide the ANSF ...