India, Oct. 10 -- Afghanistan's Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Friday met with Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar, marking the first high-level diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and the Taliban administration since it seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

"In the recent earthquake in Afghanistan, India was the first responder. Afghanistan looks at India as a close friend. We want relations based on mutual respect, trade and people-to-people ties. We are ready to create a consultative mechanism to strengthen our relations," Muttaqi said during the meeting.

The Taliban leader arrived in New Delhi after obtaining a temporary travel exemption from the UN Security Council Committee, as he is subject to UN sanct...