India has hosted a regional summit on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, to discuss the ongoing situation in neighboring Afghanistan, following the fall of the democratically elected government in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s takeover of this country. The conference is chaired by India’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and his counterparts from Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan have also attended the conference.
The summit is being attended by Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran; Kazakhstan’s Karim Masimov, chairman of the National Security Committee; Marat Mukanovich Imankulov, Secretary of the Security Council of the Kyrgyz Republic; Secretary of Security of the Russian Federation Nikolai P. Petrushev; Masrulo Rahmatzon Mahmudzoda, Secretary of the Security Council of Tajikistan; and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, Charmirat Kakalyevich Amavov. Viktor Makhmudov of Uzbekistan is also the Secretary of the Security Council.
Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar To Be Next Indian Navy Chief
India had formally invited the NSAs of Russia, Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for this meeting. However, China and Pakistan have already said that they will not attend the conference. No delegation from Afghanistan was invited for this conference.
According to people aware of developments in Afghanistan, this is the first time that all Central Asian countries, not just Afghanistan’s immediate land neighbors – Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – are participating in this discussion along with Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic.
The meeting is being seen as a part of Indian efforts to remain relevant in assessing the outcome of developments in Afghanistan.
This is the third such meeting that is being held on the Afghan situation. The last two regional meetings in this format were held in Iran in September 2018 and December 2019.
Meanwhile, according to local media reports, Kabul is viewing the conference as an optimistic step to “facilitate the provision of aid to Afghanistan”.
