New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS): India is a great market for Afghanistan, and there is a need to deepen people-to-people connect and public diplomacy between the two countries, Afghan Ambassador to India Tahir Qadiry told IANS here.

Speaking on the sidelines of a three-day India-Afghanistan International Trade and Investment Show which concluded on Thursday, the envoy said that his top diplomatic priority is to change the narrative on Afghanistan.

"There are some black-and-white stereotypes about Afghanistan, my priority is changing that image and creating a new narrative of today's Afghanistan. Our history and our relationships go deep.

"We could socialise more to attract the attention of Indian institutions, to create a new literature on Afghanistan. What we have here in India is based on the "Kabuliwala" narrative, but the country has changed a lot," he said.

Qadiry, who assumed office in June this year, feels that India is a great market for the country, especially for carpets, dried fruit and saffron.

The trade event was organised by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), in cooperation with the governments of India and Afghanistan.