Narendra Modi in Kabul, to inaugurate Afghanistan's new Parliament

Kabul: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kabul on Friday on a visit during which he is expected to hold talks with Afghan leadership, including President Ashraf Ghani, and inaugurate the Parliament building, which has been constructed by India at a cost of USD 90 million.

Modi who flew in the wee hours from Moscow was received by Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar and deputy Foreign minister Hekmat Karzai.

"From Russia to Afghanistan. A pre-dawn arrival in Kabul begins a day of engagements with another dost," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

PM @narendramodi received on arrival in Kabul by NSA Atmar, Dy FM Karzai and Afghan Ambassador to India Abdali pic.twitter.com/Psx2bcgERe

— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) December 25, 2015

On his arrival Modi said, "delighted to be in Kabul among friends. Will meet Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai".

Modi will be holding talks with Afghan leaders on key bilateral issues, including security co-operation and discuss the ways to help war-torn country where India has committed over two billion assistance. The Prime Minister will also be inaugurating the Parliament building and expected to address the Afghan lawmakers. The Parliament building project, which was initially conceived at a cost of USD 45 million, was started by India in 2007 as a mark of friendship and cooperation to help rebuild Afghanistan.

The embrace of a friend, the strength of a true partner. Prez @ashrafghani welcomes PM @narendramodi in Kabul pic.twitter.com/karUyIOSZR

— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) December 25, 2015

Significantly, prior to the Prime Minister's visit, India has delivered three Mi 25 attack helicopters to Afghanistan, in what is seen as a shift in its strategy towards the strife-torn country. Defence sources said that three such choppers have already been delivered to the Afghan government, which will boost its capability against Taliban terrorists.

The Parliament building project, which was initially conceived at a cost of USD 45 million, was started by India in 2007 as a mark of friendship and cooperation to help rebuild Afghanistan. Situated between historic landmarks King's Palace "Darulaman" and the Queen's Palace - the building has elements of Mughal and modern architecture and has Asia's largest dome as its key feature. The building will house the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House) with a seating capacity of 294, a 190-seat Meshrano Jirga (Upper House), besides other facilities like conference hall and press room.

Meanwhile, Mi 25 choppers were taken to Afghanistan in a C-17 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force, sources said.

While Afghanistan has repeatedly sought India's support in beefing up its military's fighting capability in terms of machinery, India had shied away till now. The development came after the recent visit of Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar to New Delhi.

Afghanistan has till now been dependent on the US air support in its operations against the Taliban. However, with the American forces pulling out that country to a large extent, the Afghan forces will be using the Mi 25 now.

During his stay in Russia, Modi held annual summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin and underlined the need for the world to unite against terrorism "without distinction and discrimination between terrorist groups and target countries."

The two countries signed 16 pacts to expand cooperation in various sectors, including nuclear and defence.

As part of the 16th annual India-Russia Summit, Modi and Putin held a one-on-one meeting before they were joined by their respective delegations. Earlier in the day, Modi laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a war memorial dedicated to Soviet soldiers killed in World War II, in Moscow.

Last night, Modi was hosted for a private dinner and held a private tete-a-tete with Putin at the Kremlin. The meeting took place hours after Modi arrived in Moscow to a red carpet welcome.