India, Russia pledge for Afghan-led peace process

India and Russia have reiterated their support for Afghan-led and Afghan-owned inclusive peace and reconciliation process in the war-torn country.

Regular bilateral consultations between India and Russia on Afghanistan were held here on Thursday.

In this context, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy Zamir Kabulov held delegation-level talks with Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran) Deepak Mittal, said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.

During the meeting, both sides reiterated their support for "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" inclusive peace and reconciliation process. The Russian side briefed on their efforts to support the peace process through Moscow format of talks.

"It was agreed to maintain regular bilateral consultations and coordination including in the context of international fora with the shared objective to promote peace, security, stability, unity and prosperity in Afghanistan," he added.

The two sides also agreed to hold the next round of consultations on the matter in Moscow in 2019. The Russian envoy later called on Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.