New Delhi: Former Ambassador Jitendra Tripathi, who had served in various capacities in Indian missions in Zambia, Maldives, Hungary and Sweden, opines that EAM S Jaishankar’s visit to Moscow via Tehran is very significant. And, the important factor is of India’s endeavour to check Pakistan’s move.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar left for Russia via Tehran on Wednesday with developments in Afghanistan top on the agenda. Jaishankar made a stopover in Tehran on his way to Russia on a three-day official visit. During his refuelling halt, he met with the government in Tehran including Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and President-elect Ebrahim Raisi.
“Jaishankar’s stopover in Tehran is not just a co-incident. Today itself Iran has hosted an Intra-Afghan meeting between the Taliban and Afghanistan government to agree. Therefore, Jaishankar’s visit to Tehran at this time and meeting with Iran Foreign Minister is very important because Iran has been our traditional ally”, he said.
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EAM's stopover in Tehran comes at a time when the situation in Afghanistan is volatile with the Taliban and the Afghan National Security Forces engaged in fighting with US troop’s withdrawal continuing on the sidelines. “When Taliban was at its peak, it was Russia and Iran which were anti-Taliban and wanted Taliban rule to end. It was Mujaheedin which displaced Russia from Afghanistan and the Taliban came to power on the wave of anti-Russia. Moreover, Russia has also hosted a meeting between the two warring factions in Afghanistan to agree. Russia and Iran are very important factors for securing peace and sustainable development in Afghanistan. Therefore, India is trying to approach Iran and Russia for stabilization of Afghanistan”, Tripathi told ETV Bharat.
It is pertinent to note that India, Iran and Russia were the main backers of an anti-Taliban alliance when the hardline Sunni groups were controlling Kabul between 1996 and 2001. Tripathi further pointed out, “The dynamics of power in the region is such that Turkey has sided with Pakistan and China and is against Greece. Jaishankar paid a visit to Greece as the country has supported India in the UN in all forums and Greece has got a territorial dispute with Turkey in the Mediterranean Sea. India cannot let go of the situation in Afghanistan as the country has got major stakes in Afghanistan. India is on the way to complete 34 projects in Afghanistan with a total of more than two billion dollars of investment by Indian and Indian firms. That’s why the visit is important."
During the visit to Moscow, External Affairs Minister will meet his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation to bolster ties as well as prepare for President Vladimir Putin’s forthcoming visit to India for the India-Russia annual summit. Discussions are expected to cover the entire range of bilateral issues, including evolving the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan as well as the exchange of views on various regional and international issues.
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The EAM will also be co-chairing a joint commission meeting with the Russian Deputy PM to deepen economic cooperation. Also, the minister will have a firsthand account of the Biden-Putin June 16 meeting in Geneva.
External Affairs Minister will also meet Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Yuri Borisov, his counterpart for the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC). He will also have a meeting with the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Leonid Slutsky.
Dr S Jaishankar is expected to deliver a speech on "India-Russia ties in a Changing World” at the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations during his stay in Moscow. The visit is in continuation of the frequent high-level visits between the two sides. The Russian Foreign Minister had visited New Delhi in April 2021. The visit will further strengthen the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ between the two countries, the MEA had said.
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