Foreign Secretary Chokila Aiyer begins her three-day visit to Russia on Thursday where she is to co-chair the Indo-Russian Joint Working Group on Afghanistan. The Group was set up in October 2000 under an agreement between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President Vladimir Putin, during the Russian president`s India visit.
From the Russian side, First Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov is the co-chairman of the Group. Trubnikov is expected to brief Aiyer on his recent meeting in Washington with the US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage on combating terrorism in Central Asia.
Aiyer would discuss a wide range of issues related to Afghanistan, including closer interaction between New Delhi and Moscow in helping the new Afghan administration in rebuilding the war-ravaged country, diplomatic sources said. Both Moscow and New Delhi are concerned over disappearance of thousands of Taliban militia after the beginning of US-led anti-terror campaign in Afghanistan.
Besides continuing the bilateral political dialogue initiated during Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov`s New Delhi visit earlier this month, Aiyer is also to focus on the challenges of terrorism and illegal drug trade faced by both the countries. Bureau Report