He also held talks with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.

NSA Doval was in Moscow from Feb 7-9 to participate in the Fifth Regional Dialogue on Afghanistan.

Apart from the host country, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan were represented at the regional meet.

Issues discussed included the security and humanitarian challenges facing Afghanistan.

In his remarks at the 5th Multilateral Meeting of Secretaries of Security Councils/National Security Advisers on Afghanistan on Feb 8, NSA Doval stressed the need to ensure that the territory of Afghanistan does not become a source of radicalization and terrorism, regionally or globally, as well as to intensify intelligence and security cooperation to deal with terror outfits, including those designated under the UNSCR 1267.

He also pointed out that the well-being and humanitarian needs of the Afghan people are India’s foremost priority, the statement said.