Afghan National Security Advisor Haneef Atmar met his Indian, Iranian and Pakistani counterparts on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 8th Security Conference in Moscow and discussed a number of issues relevant to all three nations. 

In his meeting with India’s national security advisor Ajit Doval, the two officials discussed the expansion of bilateral relations and agreed to work on a joint strategy to further support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). 

Atmar tweeted that the two sides “had detailed talks about regional security and agreed to work on comprehensive joint mechanisms for fight against terrorism.” 

Atmar also invited Doval to visit Afghanistan, and spoke about arranging a meeting between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in June in Kazakhstan. 

Later, he also met with his Pakistani counterpart Nasser Khan Janjua and said they discussed issues around the Durand Line, such as “the firing of rockets by Pakistani military and the building of military bases on Afghan soil”. 

Atmar said via twitter that “besides discussing regional security and political issues, the two national security advisors also discussed ways to block supply routes of terrorists.”

In his third meeting of the day, he met with the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, Ali Shamkhani. 

Atmar said they held “in depth talks about bilateral relations and economic cooperation, security issues and curbing drug trafficking on the border.”

The two sides also emphasized the need to expand economic and political ties and discussed ways to further ease transit between Afghanistan and Iran. 

In addition, Atmar and Shamkhani discussed matters regarding the proper management of natural resources between the two countries – particularly that of water resources. 

Atmar said: “President Ghani had a comprehensive plan on a regional level for water management which could be effective for proper use of water resources.”

The 8th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues started in Zavidovo, near Moscow, on Wednesday with representatives from over 90 countries in attendance. 

The two-day conference, which has been arranged by the Russian Security Council, will see delegates tackle issues such as cyber and intelligence security, and regional and global threats and challenges among others.