Iran’s Secretary of the  Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani is heading to New Delhi for a security dialogue on Afghanistan among National Security Advisers of key countries in the region. NSA Ajit Doval is hosting the conference, in which key countries from Eurasia are participating is 

Iran hosted the first two editions of the event in 2018 and 2019.

Apart from Iran, Russia and all the five Central Asian States — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will participate in the talks.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency is reporting that high-level forum is expected to review the security situation in the region arising from recent developments in Afghanistan. It will also discuss measures to address the relevant security challenges and support the people of Afghanistan in promoting peace, security and stability.

Who is Ali Shamkhani?

A veteran naval officer,  Shamkhani has served as the commander of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)  navy, with the rank of rear admiral He was later appointed the Minister of Revolutionary Guards in 1988.

Among the several hats he wore, they included his appointment as defence minister, as well as the director of the Iranian Armed Forces' Center for Strategic Studies from 2005 to 2013. He is also military advisor to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, apart from holding its current appointment as the head of Iran’s National Security Council. 

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