NEW DELHI: Geographically, India and Russia are similarly placed vis a vis Afghanistan: they don’t share a border with it but nevertheless, feel affected by developments there. India because it is always concerned about Pakistan’s activities in that country that abet terrorism against India. Russia because it shares borders with three former Central Asian satellite states (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan) that border Afghanistan.
Nevertheless, their approaches to Afghanistan are bound to be different, argues Nandan Unnikrishnan of the Observer Research Foundation during a chat on The Gist. Russia does not want instability and extremism from Afghanistan to penetrate what it sees as its Central Asian underbelly. Add to that, it is caught up in a struggle with China which is seeking to extend its influence in Central Asia.
Tune in for more in this conversation with Nandan Unnikrishnan on The Gist.
