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NSA Ajit Doval meets Russian, Iranian counterparts in Johannesburg
NSA Ajit Doval and Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s security council, discussed India-Russia cooperation on security issues and interaction in the economic field
NEW DELHI: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval held separate meetings with his Russian and Iranian counterparts on the margins of a Brics meeting in Johannesburg to review security and economic cooperation.
Doval and Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s security council, discussed India-Russia cooperation on security issues and interaction in the economic field during their working meeting, according to a statement from the Russian embassy.
Cooperation between India and Iran for developing Chabahar port came up in the meeting between Doval and Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, IRNA news agency reported.
Ahmadian described Chabahar port in southern Iran as a “symbol of cooperation” between the two sides and underlined the need to accelerate the implementation of agreements between India and Iran in the fields of transportation, energy and banking. He also said obstacles in this regard should be removed.
Referring to the common positions and concerns of Iran and India in fighting terrorism and countering the smuggling of narcotics, Ahmadian expressed Tehran’s readiness to develop cooperation in this field.
Doval welcomed the efforts by India and Iran to promote bilateral cooperation, and described Chabahar as the “most important project in Iran-India economic relations and called for removing roadblocks”, the report said.
Referring to the role of Iran and India in the Non-Aligned Movement, Doval expressed New Delhi’s readiness for closer cooperation in this organisation.
There was no official word from the Indian side on these meetings, which were held on the margins of a meeting of NSAs and high representatives on national security of the Brics (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) grouping.
