NSA Ajit Doval To Meet Chinese Counterpart Yang Jiechi At BRICS NSA Summit

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is scheduled to meet senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi and Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, among others at the BRICS NSA meeting in Johannesburg on Monday (July 24).

In addition to the NSA level meeting leading up to the summit on August 22-24, special invitees such as UAE National Security Advisor Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Arabia NSA Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban will also be in attendance.

The agenda of the BRICS NSA meeting will focus on global issues including the Ukraine war, Indo-Pacific affairs, religious radicalization, and terrorism.

Sources indicate that NSA Doval will engage with his counterparts under the BRICS framework as well as bilaterally. Of particular importance will be his exchanges with Yang Jiechi, former Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, given the backdrop of PLA aggression in East Ladakh in May 2020.

The situation in East Ladakh remains precarious, although both India and China are maintaining constant communication through military and diplomatic channels.

The PLA has yet to fully deescalate from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in East Ladakh, despite troop disengagement in Galwan, Gogra-Hot Springs, and Pangong Tso lake spurs.

During the upcoming bilateral talks, NSA Doval is expected to address the issue of de-escalation in both the western and eastern sectors of the LAC.

However, it remains to be seen if any significant progress will be made as the PLA has yet to withdraw the six combined armed brigades that were deployed during the 2022 National Party Congress. These brigades are currently stationed in the highly sensitive Silliguri corridor and the Arunachal Pradesh sector, particularly Tawang.

In response to the increased threat from the PLA in the eastern sector, the Indian Army has bolstered its military presence to counter the challenge.

As part of his diplomatic engagements, NSA Doval will be meeting with his counterparts from Russia, UAE, and Saudi Arabia to discuss the ongoing Ukraine war and its potential impact on the global economy. He will also provide a briefing to Patrushev, President Vladimir Putin's right-hand man, about the situation in East Ladakh and the Indo-Pacific region.

Additionally, the BRICS NSA meeting will address the politically unstable situation in Afghanistan and its implications for terrorism originating from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

Given that Russian President Putin has stated his unavailability for the August BRICS summit, a decision will also need to be made regarding whether the summit will be held in person or virtually through video conferencing.