Afghanistan’s situation will be on the agenda in Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Russia later this week.
Afghanistan will also be on the top of the agenda at several upcoming high-level meetings, including the annual India-Russia Summit, Hindustan Times reported.
The report quotes people familiar with the matter as saying that Russia sees India as an important player for formulating a coordinated response to the situation in Afghanistan.
According to the report, there hasn’t been any formal announcement about Jaishankar’s visit to Russia, but he is expected to be in Moscow later this week.
Jaishankar’s visit to Moscow is a follow-up to the trip by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to New Delhi in April this year.
Quoting people familiar with the matter, Hindustan Times reports that the Indian external affairs minister and his Russian counterpart “will discuss all bilateral and international developments, including the most vital and current issues such as Afghanistan.”
The visit will happen at a time that the Taliban has taken over a large number of districts, especially in northern Afghanistan that shares a border with Central Asian countries, something that has creates concerns in Russia as well as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The group has taken over the Sher Khan Bandar crossing, north of Kunduz city, the main trade gateway into Tajikistan, over the last two weeks. Another border town, Bandar-e-Hairatan, in Balkh province, the main trade gateway into Uzbekistan, was under threat by the Taliban but the government announced last week that more troops were deployed to protect the town.
Reuters reported that Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon on Monday ordered the mobilization of 20,000 military reservists to bolster the border with Afghanistan. Reports indicate that more than 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled across the border in response to Taliban advances.
On Sunday, President Ghani in a phone conversation with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon discussed issues pertaining to “Afghan citizens’ seeking sanctuary at Tajik border areas after facing Taliban attacks.”
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon expressed concern over the conditions caused as a result of the conflict, the Presidential Palace said.
According to a Presidential Palace statement, President Ghani appreciated Tajikistan’s showing goodwill to the displaced Afghans and said the Afghan government “will adopt immediate measures to address their needs.”
