Amid the unfolding events in Afghanistan where Taliban announced an interim government, India on Wednesday hosted US spy agency CIA’s chief William J Burns in Delhi while the Russian Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev also met Prime Minister Narendera Modi.
Burns met India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to discuss the fast developing situation in Afghanistan, said reports.
CIA chief Burns is in Delhi / File photo / Wikipedia
Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him on his fruitful exchanges with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and expressed Russia’s strong commitment to further deepen its ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ with India.
Prime Minister Modi expressed his appreciation for the visit of the Russian delegation led by Secretary Patrushev at a time when major changes are taking place in the region, said an official statement.
He asked Secretary Patrushev to convey his thanks to President Vladimir Putin for his constant attention towards the India-Russia Partnership.
He also said that he was looking forward to welcoming President Putin in India in the near future, for the bilateral summit.
Prime Minister Modi in a tweet said he was happy to meet Secretary Patrushev and that the visit “allowed useful discussions between both sides on important regional developments.”
“Was happy to meet Mr. Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia. His visit allowed useful discussions between both sides on important regional developments,” the Prime Minister tweeted.
Earlier, the Russian top official met with EAM Jaishankar, who said that the two had “very useful discussions on Afghanistan”.
“Glad to meet Secretary of Security Council of Russia, Nikolai Patrushev.
Very useful discussions on Afghanistan,” he said.
The situation in Afghanistan had come up for a thorough review during talks here between NSA Ajit Doval and Russian Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev.
The talks, which were held as a follow-up to the telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 24, were the first detailed and extensive review of the Afghanistan situation, involving the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, and security agencies, with Russia after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on August 15.
