"India Will Never Abandon Afghan People": NSA Ajit Doval In Moscow

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Monday attended a security dialogue on Afghanistan in Moscow that also focused on the evolving regional security matrix.

Mr Doval began his two-day visit to Russia on Wednesday.

Apart from the host country and India, top security officials from Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attended the fifth multilateral meeting of secretaries of the security council on Afghanistan, sources said.

They said various issues related to Afghanistan were discussed, including the security situation and humanitarian challenges facing Afghanistan.  

The third round of this dialogue was held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of NSA Doval in November 2021. Sources said Mr Doval said at the dialogue that Afghanistan is passing through a difficult phase and that India has a historical and special relationship with Afghanistan.  He said well being and humanitarian needs of the people of Afghanistan is India's foremost priority and that New Delhi will never abandon the Afghan people in their time of need.

Mr Doval said that an inclusive and representative dispensation is in the larger interest of the Afghan society.

Terrorism has become a major threat in the region, he said, adding that dealing with the Daesh and terror outfits such as the LeT and the JeM requires intensified intelligence and security cooperation between respective states and its agencies.

The NSA said India reaffirmed the importance of the UN Security Council resolution 2593 that calls for terror outfits, including those designated by the top UN body, to be denied sanctuary in the region, the sources said.

Mr Doval also said no country should be allowed to use Afghan territory to export terrorism and radicalisation, they said.

He also said natural resources of Afghanistan should be utilised first for the welfare of the Afghan people.  The NSA said that India "is and will" remain an important stakeholder in Afghanistan.  "We always stood by people of Afghanistan and will always support collective efforts to help Afghan people build a prosperous and vibrant nation once again," he said.

India has not yet recognised the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul besides insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.

India has been pitching for providing unimpeded humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the country.

In June last year, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a "technical team" in its embassy in the Afghan capital.

India had withdrawn its officials from the embassy after the Taliban seized power in August 2021 following concerns over their security.  Mr Doval's visit to Moscow comes weeks ahead of the G-20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to travel to India to attend the meeting on March 1 and 2.  

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)