Russian Foreign Minister to visit India next week
The Hindu
Visit indicates intensifying talks among stakeholders in Afghanistan
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will pay a two-day visit to India during April 5-6, said Maria Zakharova, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, in Moscow. Mr. Lavrov is scheduled to interact with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and hold talks on the ongoing peace process in Afghanistan. He will be accompanied by Moscow’s Special Envoy on Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov. The visit indicates intensifying diplomatic conversation among the stakeholders in Afghanistan as the May 1 deadline for U.S. withdrawal from the war-torn country nears. The U.S. government under President Joe Biden is yet to spell out a clear strategy on the timeline for withdrawal framed by President Donald Trump’s administration. The visit is being interpreted as Russia’s attempt to brief India on the latest developments in the Afghan peace process where the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan are in discussion about resolving differences. Moscow hosted a summit on March 18 which left out India. The summit, in which the U.S., Russia, China and Pakistan participated, urged the Taliban and the government of President Ghani to accelerate peace talks.More Related News
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