Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai
In his first bilateral meeting with international leaders after assuming charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held talks with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.
The meeting with Mr Karzai was followed by Mr Modi's talks with Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom at the ceremonial Hyderabad House in Delhi.
In their more than half-an-hour meeting, Mr Modi and Mr Karzai discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the wake of the withdrawal of NATO combat troops from the war-torn country. Mr Modi was assisted in the talks by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh among others.
Both Karzai and Gayoom arrived yesterday along with other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, heads of government and states to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
These two meetings will be followed by other bilateral meetings, including talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.