'Legitimacy aspect' of ruling Afghanistan shouldn't be ignored,MEA

India and Russia discussed the Afghan issue at length. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the issue of Afghanistan occupied a lot of attention during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, given its direct implication for regional security. Speaking at a joint press conference in Moscow on Friday, Jaishankar stressed the need for an immediate reduction in violence in Afghanistan. "And if you have to see peace within Afghanistan and around Afghanistan, that's important for India and Russia to work together to ensure that much of the progress we have seen in economic and social and democratic terms are maintained," the external affairs minister said. 

Amid the Taliban's offensive to capture more parts of Afghanistan, Jaishankar underlined that whoever governs the country has a legitimacy aspect to it "which can not and should not be ignored." He said that India and Russia are committed to "independent, sovereign, united and democratic Afghanistan." The two leaders also talked about what was happening in countries like Syria, Iran and Libya as both India and Russia have long-standing interest in the region, he said. "We believe peace and stability in such a sensitive region is very important for global interest," the minister added.

Earlier he also delivered a speech on “India-Russia ties in a changing world” at Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow. Speaking at the event, Jaishakankar said that India-Russia relations have been among the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War. , Jaishankar met Russia’s deputy prime minister Yury Borisov and appreciate Russia’s timely support during the second wave of the pandemic in India. As also our Sputnik V collaboration.

A productive review of economic cooperation with DPM Yury Borisov, co-chair of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission-TEC.

Appreciate Russia’s timely support during the second wave of the pandemic in India. As also our Sputnik V collaboration. pic.twitter.com/Dn3KcnUbXn

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 8, 2021