By IANS,
New Delhi : Ahead of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit in March, India and Russia Monday held talks to expand counter-terror cooperation and exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan in the wake of a proposal for reconciliation with the Taliban.
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon held talks with Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, on a wide range of security issues.
The fluid situation in Afghanistan, in whose peace and stability both India and Russia have vital stakes, figured prominently in the discussions.
The two top national security officials debated the implications of the proposal endorsed at the London conference for reintegrating the Taliban in the political mainstream of Afghanistan for the security of the two countries.
Both India and Russia are not comfortable with accommodating the Taliban in any power-sharing arrangement in Afghanistan and have resented any distinction between the so-called good and bad Taliban.
The two countries had backed the Northern Alliance that ousted the Taliban regime late 2001 and are opposed to any arrangement that may lead to the Taliban reclaiming power in Afghanistan.
Besides international terrorism and Afghanistan, the two officials also discussed a host of bilateral issues, including the ongoing civil nuclear cooperation between them.
Patrushev is the first foreign NSA to visit New Delhi since Menon assumed charge about a week ago.
The visit is a follow-up to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s trip to Russia in December last year that led to the signing of an umbrella nuclear accord and defence pacts.
Patrushev’s trip will be followed by that of Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Sobyanin to India, expected around mid-February.
These visits will set the stage for Putin’s first trip to India in March since he became the prime minister of Russia in 2008.