The Indian Express, December 12, 1980, forty years ago
Slurring over possible divergences on Afghanistan, India and the Soviet Union today came out with a joint declaration voicing their opposition to all forms of outside interference in the internal affairs of the countries in South West Asia. The declaration issued at the end of President Leonid Brezhnev’s visit to India does not mention Afghanistan but stresses that a negotiated political settlement alone can bring peace to the region. The document stresses on friendship between the two countries and suggests areas of cooperation between the two countries on international affairs including making the Indian Ocean a zone of peace.