TWO WEEKS after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to form a permanent bilateral channel for consultations on Afghanistan, Russia’s national security adviser Nikolay Patrushev is visiting India for talks on ” high level”.
In addition to his counterpart Ajit Doval, Patrushev is expected to meet with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and the Prime Minister. In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Delhi but did not meet with the Prime Minister.
The Foreign Ministry said that Patrushev’s visit to the “India-Russia High-Level Intergovernmental Consultations on Afghanistan from 7 to 8 September 2021” followed an invitation from Doval.
In the South Block, this visit is being seen as a signal from Moscow, which has become a key player in the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban captured power and the US completed a chaotic exit.
In addition, India and Russia will participate in two major virtual summits over the next ten days: BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), where it is expected let Afghanistan dominate the conversation.
For India, Moscow is the key
In the region’s rapid geopolitics, Russia has become a key player in Afghanistan, in large part because of its commitments to the Taliban in recent years. New Delhi’s engagement with Moscow aims to advance its national interest, as both sides share concerns about terrorism emanating from Afghan lands.
On September 9, Modi will host the BRICS summit, at which Putin’s presence is expected. The SCO summit will follow from 16 to 17 September, when Modi is expected to meet again with the Russian leader. Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to attend both summits with his overly emerging country as a key player in Afghanistan because of Pakistan’s active role in helping the Taliban.
The MEA said the Russian NSA-related consultations “are a follow-up to the telephone conversation” between Modi and Putin on Aug. 24. “The two leaders had expressed the view that it was important for the two strategic partners to work together and instruct their senior officials to continue in contact with Afghanistan,” he said.
On Friday, Putin had expressed hope that the Taliban would behave in a “civilized” way in Afghanistan so that the world community can maintain diplomatic ties with Kabul. “Russia is not interested in the disintegration of Afghanistan. If that happens, there will be no one to talk to, “Putin said.
In Kabul, the Russian ambassador had met with the Taliban several days after the inauguration and said Moscow would maintain its embassy in the country.