At SCO summit, Afghan president thanks India for support amid COVID-19 crisis

The Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has thanked India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) heads of state virtual meet for its aid amid the COVID-19 crisis. 

Ghani said, "India provided over one- hundred thousand tons of wheat at a time when markets were jittery through the Chabahar corridor and kept the air corridor open."

India had sent 75,000 MT of wheat to Afghanistan with an aim to provide food security to the country during the pandemic. The shipment of wheat was supplied to the country in 10 instalments between April and September via India built Chabahar port in Iran.

The Indian mission in Afghanistan in a statement said the food grains assistance is part of "India’s humanitarian and economic assistance program" and the large scale deliveries from India to Afghanistan "demonstrates the salience and economic viability of the Chabahar Port for Afghanistan’ trade and commerce.". 

Earlier, the Afghan foreign minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar had thanked India for the support, with the Afghanistan foreign ministry in a statement saying the aid comes at a when a "humanitarian emergency" is emerging due to the pandemic restricting some citizens’ access to basic food staples such as wheat.

Indian Prime Minister was also present during the SCO virtual meet. Afghanistan is an observer member of SCO grouping.