india

Updated: Aug 22, 2019 01:12 IST

India and Russia on Wednesday reiterated their position of mutual support for “principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference of third parties” during a meeting between national security adviser Ajit Doval and his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev in Moscow, the government said in a statement.

The statement is significant as it came a day after US president Donald Trump repeated his offer to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.

India and Russia also reaffirmed their intention to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation during the meeting of the two officials.

The talks between Doval and Patrushev, who is the secretary of the Russian National Security Council, covered preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Vladivostok for the Eastern Economic Forum in early September, bilateral cooperation between the two national security councils, and other regional and international issues, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement.

“The discussions, based on mutual trust and confidence showed identical or close positions on various issues characteristic of the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries,” the statement added.

Both sides reiterated their “longstanding position” on the importance of bilateral consultations and mutual support for principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference of third parties.

Doval also met Dmitry Rogozin, the director of Russian Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, to review the ongoing cooperation in the space field and Gaganyaan, the Indian space flight programme.

“Rogozin applauded the progress of the Chandrayaan programme and conveyed Russia’s support and best wishes for the mission’s success. Both sides also discussed long term aspects of space cooperation, which is expected to figure prominently in the Bilateral summit in Vladivostok,” the statement added.

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