Heads of the National Security Councils of seven nations collectively met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Wednesday. The top officers were in the national capital to attend the Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan hosted by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
The officers representing Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan appreciated India’s initiative in organising the dialogue and the quality of the exchanges, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. They also conveyed the perspectives of their respective countries on the Afghanistan situation, it said.
The prime minister appreciated the participation of the senior dignitaries despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.
“He (Modi) emphasised four aspects that countries in the region would need to focus on, in the context of Afghanistan: the need for an inclusive governement; a zero-tolerance stance about Afghan territory being used by terrorist groups; a strategy to counter trafficking of drugs and arms from Afghanistan; and addressing the increasingly critical humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan,” the PMO said.
Modi also expressed the hope that the dialogue would work to revive Central Asia's traditions of moderation and progressive culture, and counter extremist tendencies, the statement further said.