NSA Doval meets Russian counterpart Patrushev in Dushanbe; discusses cooperation, security

On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) NSAs' meeting, India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev. As per reports, the duo discussed plans for the Russia-India interaction in the security sphere and cooperation among the security and law-enforcement agencies of the two countries. Besides, they also exchanged opinions on a gamut of issues, including the evolving situation in Afghanistan and the Asia-Pacific region during the meeting. 

PM Modi- Putin had decided on 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the Foreign and Defence Ministers in April 

It is pertinent to mention here that the leaders of the two countries, PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, have had at two high-profile sit-down bilateral summits aborted during the COVID pandemic, while Putin last visited India in 2018. Putin was supposed to come to India, but the pandemic scuttled it, while Modi was also to visit Russia but Rajnath Singh attended instead as the Nation was amidst the height of the first wave of the pandemic then. They, however, conversed on call during the devastating second wave of COVID-19 in India. Amidst the crisis, Russia announced that it will be sending a large consignment of aid to India by an urgent flight of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, which it did, and it comprised of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, and anticancer drugs, and other necessary medical and pharmaceutical products.

In a statement, Russia said, “The leadership of the Russian Federation made a decision, in the spirit of friendship and a particularly privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India, and in order to combat the sharp increase in the incidence of new coronavirus infection”. PM Modi in reply thanked the country for 'help and support'. 

The two leaders also reviewed diverse bilateral cooperation, especially in the area of space exploration and renewable energy sector, including in the hydrogen economy. Further, they agreed to establish a 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the Foreign and Defence Ministers of the two countries, much like India has with the US. The date of the same has not been finalized, but at this juncture, the meeting between Doval and Patrushev holds significance, especially after Biden-Putin Summit (16 June) and interactions between Patrushev-Sullivan and Patrushev-Yang Jeichi meetings (both in May 2021).

Focus on COVID-19 aftermath at SCO meet-day 2

The current president of the SCO, Tajikistan is hosting the meeting of the top national security officials of the eight-nation grouping on June 23 and 24. According to the press service of the Russian Security Council’s office, the annual meeting of secretaries of SCO on Wednesday focused on the COVID-19 pandemic aftermath. “It was stressed that the social and economic consequences of the novel coronavirus infection pandemic may catalyze the spread of threats of terrorism, extremism, drug trade, and organized crime," the press service said in a statement.

(Credit-AP/PTI)