Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi which reaffirmed the desire by both the countries to strengthen coordination to enhance regional stability.
Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which the desire by both the countries to strengthen coordination to enhance regional stability was reaffirmed, according to a Russian statement.
"The two sides reaffirmed their intention to strengthen coordination in the field of enhancing the regional stability, including on the Afghan direction," it said. Patrushev arrived here on a two-day visit on Tuesday as part of a follow-up to the telephonic conversation between Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 24 in the backdrop of the developments in Afghanistan.
The top Russian security official held wide-ranging talks with NSA Ajit Doval with a focus on possible security threats to India, Russia and the Central Asian region from the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. He also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The Russian statement said a wide range of issues of the Russian-Indian cooperation, as well as a number of topics of the international agenda were touched upon during the conversation.
"Opportunities for further development of the special and privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India, including deepening political dialogue at the highest and high levels, were discussed," it said.
"They also spoke about the prospects for strengthening interaction in multilateral formats, including the SCO and BRICS, as well as the development of the Russian-Indian cooperation in the trade and economic sphere," it added. India has been in touch with all leading powers on the developments in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of troops by the US.
Three weeks after taking control of The Taliban on Tuesday a unveiled a "caretaker" government, saying it would be headed by Mohammad Hasan Akhund. Modi and Putin had on August 24 discussed the developments in Afghanistan and expressed the view that it was important for the two countries to work together.
There have been mounting concerns in India over the possibility of a rise in activities of various terror groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Last week, the Indian Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal met senior Taliban leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai in Doha and conveyed to him India's concerns that Afghanistan's soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism.
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