At NSAs' meet, Ajit Doval & Tajikistan, Uzbekistan counterparts assess Afghanistan crisis

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met his counterparts from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Tuesday. As per sources, a detailed exchange of views on Afghanistan, with significant convergence of assessments, was held between the NSAs. Concerns were reportedly expressed over the sharp increase in terrorist threats from Afghanistan in the recent past.

When it comes to the one-on-one meetings, Republic has learnt that the Tajik side highlighted the gravity of the situation in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. Nasrullo Rahmatjon Mahmudzoda, Secretary, Security Council of Tajikistan held discussions with NSA Ajit Doval over the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. On the bilateral side, discussions took place on deepening cooperation in areas like defence, border management and border infrastructure development.

With Uzbekistan, the crisis in Afghanistan was once again the major focus of discussions. Both sides agreed that the future of Afghanistan must be decided by its people. They felt that the legitimacy of any Afghan government within Afghanistan was important before the issue of its international recognition. Uzbekistan led by Victor Makhmudov, Secretary of the Security Council also highlighted the need for long term economic development in the nation. Both sides emphasized the need for Afghanistan’s neighbours to ensure unhindered access to humanitarian assistance for the people and agreed that neighbouring states must play a constructive role in the war-torn nation's future.

NSA-level talks in Delhi, 8 countries to participate

The NSA-level Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan will see the participation of eight countries that will hold talks to bring a consensus on Afghanistan. With the attendance of Russia, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, this is the highest participation in this format of talks. The aim of the talks is to send a 'loud and clear' message to Kabul and assert that whosoever rules Afghanistan needs to represent the will of the people.

Republic TV has learnt that the 'unspoken consensus' is that Pakistan is the source of problems in Afghanistan. There is a consensus on the 'credibility gap' in Pakistan's words and actions. Its decision to skip the NSA-level meeting organised by India had established its position on the Taliban takeover. China, on the other hand, said that it is unable to attend the meeting due to a scheduling issue.