Zarvan
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MOSCOW: Signaling a strong convergence to protect their strategic stakes in Afghanistan, India and Russia are set to emphasize that Pakistan's bid to rehabilitate Taliban is not an acceptable outcome post the US drawdown.
A "fundamental commonality" over combating terrorism is expected to be the focus of the joint statement to be issued on Monday after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
India and Russia will not ink contracts for units 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant - negotiations are held up in legal nitty-gritty - but will look to make up for the disappointment by leveraging a strategic confluence over the security scenario in Afghanistan.
Speaking on background, a senior official said, "Any resurgence of regressive forces (seen as a code for Taliban) or extremism is not desirable. A chance to exchange views at the highest level is always helpful."
As Singh and Putin share perceptions on Afghanistan, they are likely to agree that the US compulsion to leave the war-torn nation cannot come at the cost of India and Russia's interests or those of other nations who have reasons to worry about increased instability in the region.
Experts have noted that the US need to move troops and military hardware out of Afghanistan would require Pakistan's cooperation and the Pakistani military - and political leadership - sees an opportunity to install a friendly regime in Kabul.
The sensitivity of the unfolding Afghan scenario could be gauged by the official caution on Pakistan reducing violations of the ceasefire agreement along the line of control in J&K after Singh's recent meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
"We will have to give it time to see how it works," the official said when asked whether an exchange of information between the Indian and Pakistani Director Generals of Military Operations was yielding results.
Singh, a veteran of meetings with the Russian leaderships as he heads into his 10th summit, is expected to continue an almost unbroken dialogue with Putin. Singh has been able to reach back to his exchanges with Putin that go back to 2004 as he prepared to meet the Russian strongman.
The security dialogue is likely to make up for a sparse clutch of agreements as Singh and Putin consider the implications of US's hunt for a political solution that allows it to make a relatively bloodless exit from Afghanistan.
Both India and Russia have reasons to worry about Pakistan's dogged bid to play on US vulnerabilities to regain "strategic depth" in Afghanistan that has included an attempt to negotiate with Taliban.
Getting Taliban back into play suits Pakistan's interest as it looks to block and pare down India's presence in Afghanistan, having already provided a launching pad for terror strikes against Indian interests.
The Pakistan army's stepped up aggression in Jammu and Kashmir is also seen to reflect Islamabad's confidence that it can increase the pain threshold with India without attracting the level of criticism that it previously did.
Manmohan Singh-Vladimir Putin talks will focus on Taliban - The Times of India
@Aeronaut @Oscar @jaibi @Rafi @Imran Khan @Areesh @A.Rafay @Alpha1 @nuclearpak @RazPaK @AUz @Stealth @HRK @nick_indian @doppelganger @Jungibaaz @Yzd Khalifa @Arabian Legend
A "fundamental commonality" over combating terrorism is expected to be the focus of the joint statement to be issued on Monday after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
India and Russia will not ink contracts for units 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant - negotiations are held up in legal nitty-gritty - but will look to make up for the disappointment by leveraging a strategic confluence over the security scenario in Afghanistan.
Speaking on background, a senior official said, "Any resurgence of regressive forces (seen as a code for Taliban) or extremism is not desirable. A chance to exchange views at the highest level is always helpful."
As Singh and Putin share perceptions on Afghanistan, they are likely to agree that the US compulsion to leave the war-torn nation cannot come at the cost of India and Russia's interests or those of other nations who have reasons to worry about increased instability in the region.
Experts have noted that the US need to move troops and military hardware out of Afghanistan would require Pakistan's cooperation and the Pakistani military - and political leadership - sees an opportunity to install a friendly regime in Kabul.
The sensitivity of the unfolding Afghan scenario could be gauged by the official caution on Pakistan reducing violations of the ceasefire agreement along the line of control in J&K after Singh's recent meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
"We will have to give it time to see how it works," the official said when asked whether an exchange of information between the Indian and Pakistani Director Generals of Military Operations was yielding results.
Singh, a veteran of meetings with the Russian leaderships as he heads into his 10th summit, is expected to continue an almost unbroken dialogue with Putin. Singh has been able to reach back to his exchanges with Putin that go back to 2004 as he prepared to meet the Russian strongman.
The security dialogue is likely to make up for a sparse clutch of agreements as Singh and Putin consider the implications of US's hunt for a political solution that allows it to make a relatively bloodless exit from Afghanistan.
Both India and Russia have reasons to worry about Pakistan's dogged bid to play on US vulnerabilities to regain "strategic depth" in Afghanistan that has included an attempt to negotiate with Taliban.
Getting Taliban back into play suits Pakistan's interest as it looks to block and pare down India's presence in Afghanistan, having already provided a launching pad for terror strikes against Indian interests.
The Pakistan army's stepped up aggression in Jammu and Kashmir is also seen to reflect Islamabad's confidence that it can increase the pain threshold with India without attracting the level of criticism that it previously did.
Manmohan Singh-Vladimir Putin talks will focus on Taliban - The Times of India
@Aeronaut @Oscar @jaibi @Rafi @Imran Khan @Areesh @A.Rafay @Alpha1 @nuclearpak @RazPaK @AUz @Stealth @HRK @nick_indian @doppelganger @Jungibaaz @Yzd Khalifa @Arabian Legend
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