NSA Doval meets Russian Security Council deputy secretary in Beijing on SCO sidelines

Beijing, June 24 (IANS) National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Tuesday met Aleksandr Venediktov, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, on the sidelines of the 20th Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Security Council Secretaries in Beijing.

"H.E. Aleksandr Venediktov, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, called on NSA Shri Ajit Doval today on the sidelines of the 20th Meeting of the SCO Security Council Secretaries in Beijing," the Indian Embassy in China posted on X.

This high-level interaction between India and Russia comes amid the ongoing multilateral discussions under the SCO framework, with security, regional stability, and counter-terrorism being top items on the agenda.

A day earlier, NSA Doval also held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

The meeting was held in the context of Doval's visit to China to participate in the SCO forum, which brings together top security officials from key Eurasian countries.

During their meeting, both Doval and Wang reviewed recent developments in India-China bilateral relations and discussed ways to promote overall ties between the two Asian powers.

According to the MEA, the two sides underscored the importance of fostering greater people-to-people contacts and cooperation in various sectors.

“NSA noted that he looked forward to meeting with Wang Yi in India at a mutually convenient date for the 24th round of the Special Representative (SR) Talks,” the ministry added.

In a related development, India has reportedly pushed for the inclusion of a reference to the recent Pahalgam terror attack in one of the documents to be adopted at the SCO summit, under China's chairmanship. The move underscores India's continued emphasis on addressing terrorism through multilateral platforms.

The SCO, established in June 2001 in Shanghai, is a permanent intergovernmental organisation focused on security, economic cooperation, and regional connectivity. Its member states include India, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus.

--IANS

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