External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar embarked to the USA to attend bilateral meetings on the Afghanistan situation. 'Safety of Indians' is a priority and India’s focus is on ensuring the security and safe return of Indian nationals still in the war-torn country, he said.

While addressing reporters at the UN Security Council stakeout after chairing an open debate on peacekeeping under India’s current UNSC Presidency, said “that (situation in Afghanistan) is really what has been very much the focus of my own engagements here, talking to the UN Secretary-General and other colleagues who are here as well as the US Secretary of State.”

Jaishankar has discussed the situation in Afghanistan in his bilateral meetings here, including with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He arrived in New York on Monday as the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the situation in Afghanistan, the second time in just over the 10 days that the powerful UN body met under India’s Presidency for the month of August to discuss the situation in the war-torn country.

In reply to another query on India's investments in Afghan over the last 20 years and whether New Delhi will be engaged in Afghanistan now that the Taliban is in control, Jaishankr said: “You used the word investment. I mean, for us, it reflected what was a historical relationship with the Afghan people. I think that the relationship with the Afghan people obviously continues and that will guide our approach to Afghanistan in the coming days.

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