Indian and Russia share mutual concerns regarding Afghanistan: Russian

New Delhi: Russian ambassador to India, Nikolai Kudashev, claimed that India and Russia share similar concerns about Afghanistan. Kudashev said ‘Both countries expect that Afghan land will not be used for terrorist activities against another country.’ The Russian ambassador also underlined the danger that Afghan land could be used against India and Russia.

For the past few weeks, there have been indications that India and Russia have conflicting interests in Afghanistan. Russia had decided to increase cooperation with Pakistan to safeguard its interests in Afghanistan. Pakistani analysts have claimed that Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia will co-operate with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. In this context, the statements made by the Russian ambassador about Afghanistan are significant.

With the Taliban coming to power in Afghanistan, significant countries worldwide are watching the developments closely. Pakistani analysts claim that India, along with the United States and European countries, is opposed to the Taliban government. On the other hand, Pakistani analysts say that China and Russia will stand behind the Taliban government. However, the Russian ambassador seems to have dismissed the claim, saying that the Russian stand regarding Afghanistan is not very different from India. Ambassador Kudashev appears to have reassured India that there is no significant difference between the Indian and Russian positions over the Afghan issue.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has announced that Russia will attend the new government’s inauguration in Afghanistan if the Taliban establish an all-inclusive government. Besides, Russia is also keeping a close eye on the Taliban. Along with the Taliban, Russia’s distrust of Pakistan is also evident. This is a massive plus for India. Meanwhile, some Indian analysts had inferred that Chinese influence in Russia, is growing and Russia will play a role favourable for China in Afghanistan. But growing Chinese influence in Afghanistan could threaten Russian interests in Central Asia, analysts say.