President Putin invites Prime Minister Modi to visit Russia, Jaishankar meets Sergey Lavrov in Moscow
The Foreign Minister said the relationship between New Delhi and Moscow remains very stable and strong and is based on strategic convergence of geopolitical interests.
India-Russia Relationship: President Vladimir Putin will meet Indian Foreign Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Wednesday. This information was shared by the Kremlin. EAM Jaishankar is in Russia on a five-day official visit.
“Tonight the president plans to receive Mr. Jaishankar, the Indian foreign minister,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow, noting that the EAM had already met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov .
“India is an important partner of Russia, so the ministers will discuss the contacts they have had and the course of their conversation,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
While addressing the joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Jaishankar appreciated the trade between India and Russia, which is at an all-time high. He said negotiations on a free trade agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union will resume in January next year.
“It’s always good to be in Moscow. So I agree with you that our relationship has been very strong and stable, and I think we have lived up to the responsibilities of a special and privileged strategic partnership,” Jaishankar told Lavrov.
The Foreign Minister said the relationship between New Delhi and Moscow remains very stable and strong and is based on strategic convergence of geopolitical interests.
Jaishankar on Tuesday held a “comprehensive and productive” meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Manturov on bilateral economic cooperation during which they witnessed the signing of some “very important” agreements regarding the construction of the future power-generating units of Kudankulam Nuclear Power . factory in Tamil Nadu.
Ties between India and Russia remained strong despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. India has not yet condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and continues to insist that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
“Russia is India’s “valued and proven partner,” India’s EAM said, adding that India and Russia have benefited immensely from the relationship shared by the two countries and developments in various sectors, including trade, investment and military-technical cooperation, exemplify a sense of importance that New Delhi attaches to its ties with Moscow.
He said India greatly appreciates the tradition of annual meetings between the leaders of India and Russia, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not hold an annual meeting due to India’s chairmanship of the G20 and concerns at the end of the year, and expressed his confidence that the annual meeting will take place next year.
“The tradition of annual meetings between our leaders is something we deeply value and as someone who has seen it over the past decade, I can attest to its tremendous value. I think my colleague has seen it for some time and can confirm what I am saying. I don’t think it is a question of resuming the summits. This year, because of our presidency of the G20 and at the end of the year, we had some concerns.
“It just so happened that it couldn’t be done. I’m confident that next year we’ll see an annual summit and again, you know ours is truly ours. It’s really a relationship that at every level, starting with you know the relationship between the leaders all the way up to the popular level, the social sentiment, I think we have very positive feelings for each other and I think that’s a very big is a source of strength for the relationship.
“We had a very good discussion session and what really came out today is that the relationship between India and Russia remains very stable and very strong. They are based on strategic convergence of geopolitical interests and because they are mutually beneficial,” Jaishankar said.
“We spent a lot of time discussing political cooperation, regarding many international issues, including international organizations such as the BRICS of which Russia will be the president, SCO,” he added.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Russia, Russian state media reported.
(With input from the agency)