The recent visit of Nikolai Patrushev to India underlines prospects of cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi on regional security and geopolitics, particularly after the U.S. troops withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban rise to power. 

The Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev paid an official visit to New Delhi on September 8th, 2021, and met the Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to discuss security issues related to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and regional dynamics. This is the first official visit that Patruhev paid to the region after the change of power in Kabul.

Why does this matter? Because India and Russia share a common approach to Afghanistan and are interested in the stability of the Central Asian republics. The fact that Patrushev visited India firstly after the Taliban rise to power in Kabul highlighted that Moscow and New Delhi might elaborate a common strategy to guarantee security in the region and counter the rise of the Chinese-Pakistani rule. Indeed, Russian-Indian consultations on security and regional geopolitics are held annually. Only in 2020, due to the pandemic, the two parts did not meet, while in 2019, the meeting was held in Moscow. It should also be noted that under Patrushev and Doval, India and Russia have paid particular attention to military-technical cooperation.

As reported before, India might become more active in Asia to counter Pakistan and contrast the possible Taliban and terrorist actions in Kashmir. New Delhi is constantly monitoring the situation in Afghanistan concerning Kashmir.  Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, al-Qaeda recently called for the ‘liberation of Kashmir, underlining one of the possible future battlegrounds in Asia. In this context, India can increase its cooperation with Russia and Iran to guarantee national safety and strengthen its regional position against Pakistan and China.

Author: Silvia Boltuc