-Dr. Rahul Kumar, senior correspondent, the Asian independent, UK-
It is quite surprising that some of the scribes working for Indian mainstream media do not understand properly the relations between India and Russia. No doubt, India needs Afghanistan support in the region to establish trade connectivity. Similarly, India needs Iran for the development of Chabahar airport. Russia as a trusted and strategic partner of India always stood by India in promoting the interests of India in that region. The argument being given by Indian media outlets that Russia kept India out of Afghanistan is absolutely baseless and lacks in deep understanding. It is unfortunate that some scribes having political connections with American lobbyists in India unknowingly try to create a confusion in the minds of the international community. Russia is a reliable friend of India and always looked forward to its geopolitical development in a stable and sustainable peaceful manner.
Dialogue between Russia and India has always been very close and forward-looking on all global and regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan. It has been intensively maintained in bilateral and multilateral formats, including the SCO Afghanistan Contact Group, Moscow consultations, etc. Due to the complexity of the Afghan settlement, moving towards a relevant regional consensus and coordination with other partners, including the US, is critical. Russia proceeds from the importance of the implementation of the US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha in February 2020 and approved by a UN Security Council resolution. Russia always stated that India plays very important role in Afghanistan, and its eventual deeper involvement in dedicated dialogue formats is natural.
It should be very clear to the global community that Russia genuinely believe that political stability in Afghanistan is good for all the global nations of the world. The players in Afghanistan are mentally, politically controlled by the US administration. Now, all eyes are set on US President Joe Biden and his new team how the political quagmire of Afghanistan can be resolved while satisfying all the parties involved in it. There is no doubt if the new President Joe Biden and his team finally decide to bring back the forces of the US army from the soil of Afghanistan, as everyone knows, Taliban shall regain political power which, of course, is neither in the interests of Russia nor India. Russia believes that only peace can bring prosperity in the region. Russia was and will stand by India to achieve this desirable goal.
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