National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval held a meeting with Russia’s Secretary of Security Council Sergey Shoigu on the sidelines of the Meeting of BRICS NSAs meeting in Russia’s St Petersburg on Wednesday and discussed issues of mutual interest.

In a post on X, Russian Embassy in India stated, “On September 11, on the sidelines of the Meeting of #BRICS High-Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters in #StPetersburg, Secretary of Security Council Sergey Shoigu held talks with Ajit Doval, NSA to Prime Minister.”

In the statement released on Telegram, the Russian Embassy in India called New Delhi one of Moscow’s like minded partners in the world. During the meeting, attention was particularly paid to the multi-level trust-based political dialogue between Russia and India.

“New Delhi is one of Moscow’s main like-minded partners in the world arena, whose friendship has confidently stood the test of time. Our countries are jointly grappling with the challenges of the 21st century, — underscored Sergey Shoigu. At the meeting, a wide range of issues of mutual interest were discussed,” the Russian Embassy in India said in a statement shared on Telegram.

“Particular attention was paid to the multi-level trust-based political dialogue between Russia and India built on regular contacts between the leaders. The Secretary of Russia’s Security Council separately noted the significance of the bilateral summit held in July,” it added.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval on Wednesday attended the BRICS National Security Advisers meeting in St Petersburg in Russia. The Indian Embassy in Russia shared some pictures of the BRICS meeting on X.

In a post on X, Indian Embassy in Russia stated, “NSA Shri Ajit Doval is participating in the BRICS NSAs meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia. During the sessions in the first half of the day, he spoke on modern security challenges, including ICT ( information and communication technology) related issues and terrorism, and the need to address them through joint efforts within the BRICS framework.”

Notably, Russia is holding the BRICS chairmanship for the year 2024. BRICS is an informal group of states comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, with new members Egypt, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia joining the grouping in 2023. NSA Doval had participated in the 13th BRICS NSA meeting in Johannesburg in July 2023.