Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday they were confident that the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan would be comprehensive and effective.
According to a joint statement issued by both leaders after Modi’s official two-day visit to Moscow, Putin and Modi discussed a wide range of issues relating to both countries and touched on the subject of Afghanistan.
“The sides noted with appreciation the close coordination between India and Russia on Afghanistan including through the dialogue mechanism between the Security Councils of both countries.
“Both sides discussed the situation in Afghanistan, including the security situation and its implications in the region, the current political situation, issues related to terrorism, radicalization and drug trafficking.
“They advocated for Afghanistan as an independent, united and peaceful state free from terrorism, war and drugs, living in peace with its neighbors and ensuring respect for basic human rights and freedoms, including for the most vulnerable sections of the Afghan society,” the statement read.
Modi and Putin also emphasized the importance of the Moscow Format meetings to facilitate the Afghan settlement.
In addition, both leaders welcomed the counter-terrorism measures against international terrorist groups, including in particular ISIS (Daesh), and other groups and expressed confidence that the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan would be comprehensive and effective.
They also “stressed the need to ensure urgent and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people without any political demands”
